Dangote shines at Lagos Trade Fair
Pan-African Conglomerate Dangote Group shined in a big way at the 2017 Lagos International Trade Fair which ended yesterday, with subsidiaries under the Group exhibited their array of products.
The global brand is however spicing this year’s fair with a special introduction of new products and packs from the stable of its subsidiaries to its customers and other visitors to the fair.
With the theme of this year fair on “Promoting Industrialisation for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth”, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) the organizer of the Lagos International trade fair has set the platform for fruitful deliberations on the drive for industrialization towards economic recovery, sustainable growth and development.
According to LCCI, by design and conceptualization, the 2017 Lagos International trade fair was specially packaged to meet the aspirations and interests of government agencies, domestic investors, conglomerates like Dangote Group, foreign investors and bilateral trade agencies.
Business units from the group that exhibited at the fair include: Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Flour Mill, Dangote Agrosacks, National Salt Company of Nigeria, Dangote Pasta and Dangote Cement. Products on display at the fair by the Group include sugar, salt, tomato paste, various ranges of fruit juice products and bottled water from Dansa Foods.
A unique offering from the Group in this year’s Lagos Trade Fair is the Dangote Combo pack. The pack contains products from the stable of business units within the Group and is offered to participants at the fair at a much reduced price. Dangote Flour also gave out a free sampling of its popular Alkama wheat meal and other wheat based meals in serving visitors to the stand with meals prepared in several hygienic ways.
Consumers at the fair are happy with Dangote’s product as they afford distributors and retailers the opportunity to stock their shops for the fast approaching Christmas season while end consumers bought at a discount.
A major attraction at the Group’s pavilion is the Dangote Kitchen which is offering a wide range of the delicacies prepared from products manufactured by companies under the Group, especially the new products like the Alkama wheat meal seasoning from Dangote salt, and new sugar packs.
Visitors to the stand are also treated to free samples of various drinks from the Dansa stable for tasting; a development that has triggered high demand for the Group’s products while intending distributors also had the opportunity to register at the stand.
Mrs. Nike Adojutelegan, a teacher, said her attraction is the free package that goes with buying Dangote products, saying that the products are also at a discount.
For Mrs. Damilola Oluwaseyi, the attraction is the promotion and discounts, where shoppers are sure of getting products at cheap rates.
She noted that Dangote Group’s product are the best, saying the pasta, sugar, and the newly introduced Alkama wheat meal are very good products.
Also, schools children from various institutions across the state, their teachers were not left out as they have their turn to familiarize themselves with products from the Group’s stable and were showered with customized gifts companies from the group that are exhibiting at the fair.
Speaking at the Dangote Group’s Special Day at the fair, executive director, Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communications, Dangote Group, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, said that the conglomerate was committed to a diversified economy of Nigeria by exploring opportunities in different sub sectors.
He said that what Nigeria and Africa needed was to add value to its natural resources toward improving its competitiveness in the global economy.
According to him, the company operates in about 12 African countries, adding that it’s Congo operation will be commissioned next week.
He said that within the next five to 10 years, Dangote would not just be the largest conglomerate in Africa but aspires to be among the top 20 in the world.
Ahmed said that it is yearly participation at the fair had challenged them to do more, adding that the company and LCCI were partners in continuous growth, industrialisation and diversification of the nation’s economy.
Meanwhile, the president of LCCI, Mrs. Nike Akande said that Dangote’s activities has helped to improve the country’s industrialisation quest by spreading its footprint nationwide and beyond Africa.
“The Group is a proudly Nigerian company operating in most states of Nigeria and having a formidable presence across the African continent. With a workforce running into thousands, the Group remains a leading employer of labour in Nigeria and a well-respected brand.
“The Dangote Group is reputed to be one of the most socially responsible corporate citizens in Nigeria, with corporate social responsible projects impacting the society, infrastructure and the less privileged,” Akande said.
She urged the federal government to address perennial issues of access to credit, poor power supply and foreign exchange challenges as they affected businesses in the country.
Also, the chairman of Trade Promotion Board, Dr. Sola Oyetayo at the Dangote Group Day commended the president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his long-standing passion towards the participation of Dangote Group at the yearly Lagos International trade fair, saying “We do hope that this participation will translate into meaningful brand penetration for the Group and private sector development in Nigeria.”
Oyetayo pointed out that Dangote Group support over the years has contributed immensely to the sustenance of this project which has added value to trade promotion, private sector empowerment and commerce for the past 31 years in Nigeria and the West Africa region.
“We are optimistic that the strategic position occupied by the Dangote Group and the other big players in the private sector would deliver needed jobs to reduce poverty in Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that this year’s trade fair has attracted numerous local and international companies and formidable stakeholders.
