Dangote Cement PLC, Ibese Plant, has announced a N15.7 million scholarship for 120 students in its host community, Ibese, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun. The scholarship will cater to 100 undergraduates and 20 others drawn from secondary and primary school levels across the 17 host communities. The company made the announcement on Wednesday during its annual Community Day celebration held in Ibese.
Reeling out the Social Investment Scorecard, Mr Demola Ojolowo, Head of Social Performance, Dangote Cement, said the company had executed 13 developmental projects, with 10 ongoing projects expected to be completed before the end of the year. He listed the initiatives to include skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, women empowerment schemes, farmer support programmes, and health empowerment sensitisation across the host communities.
Ojolowo also mentioned the construction of public infrastructure and the installation of solar infrastructure inverter systems among other interventions. According to him, the social investment scorecard reflects steady progress and service delivery in empowerment, education, health, and infrastructure projects within the company’s area of operation.
“As a responsible corporate organisation in mining and manufacturing, we commit under the Community Development Agreement to complement government developmental efforts through delivery of social and economic benefits to our community stakeholders,” Ojolowo said. “We remain committed to enhancing project efficiency, ensuring sustainability, and fostering strong partnerships with communities and government stakeholders as we enter the next phase of our community development efforts,” he added.
In his address, the Plant Director, Ayyagari Subbaraidu, noted that the occasion reflects the company’s deliberate and continuous effort to broaden its stakeholder engagement and deepen community participation. Subbaraidu, who was represented by the Chief General Manager, Maintenance, Hemant Dave, said the Community Day has become a strategic feature for reviewing the company’s social stewardship.
He explained that the platform provides a comprehensive account of corporate social investments made during the year. “It is the Dangote way, a commitment that goes beyond producing quality cement to embracing care, inclusion, and partnership with the people around us,” he said.
Subbaraidu appreciated the support received from the Ogun State Government, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders. In his goodwill message, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Daisi Elemide, commended the Dangote Group for its steady support and commitment to community development initiatives in the area.
Elemide, however, expressed reservations about the indiscriminate parking by the company’s truck drivers on major roads, urging the management to urgently address the situation to improve safety. The Aboro of Ibese land, Oba Rotimi Mulero, thanked the Dangote Cement Plant for creating job opportunities for members of the host community.
Mulero, however, urged the company to place deserving community members in more suitable job descriptions in line with their qualifications. Speaking on behalf of the women group, Mrs Sherifat Akintunde expressed gratitude to the Dangote Cement Plant for empowering women with milling machines.
According to her, women in the area had previously struggled to grind their farm produce to earn a living. The highlight of the event was the presentation of laptops and other gadgets to beneficiaries of the Dangote ICT empowerment programme in the community.
