Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has urged the Dangote Group to expand its footprint in the state by leveraging its vast mineral resource deposits to drive job creation and strengthen small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
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The call was made at the opening of the 3rd edition of the Nasarawa Trade Fair and Exhibition, where the governor, represented by the Director of Trade at the state Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment, Dr Ahmed Agbo II, highlighted the existing partnership between the state and the conglomerate.
According to a statement from the Dangote Group, Sule noted that Nasarawa possesses a wide range of untapped mineral resources capable of supporting large-scale industrial investments. He stressed that deeper engagement by the company would not only unlock value across the mining and manufacturing chain but also stimulate broader economic growth within the state.
He commended the company’s ongoing contributions to employment and industrialisation, adding that its Vision 2030 target of achieving $100bn in revenue aligns with the state’s ambition to build a more inclusive and diversified economy. “The scale of Dangote Group’s operations and its long-term investment strategy present a unique opportunity for local businesses to grow within a structured industrial ecosystem,” he said.
The Dangote Group is the major sponsor of the trade fair, themed “Unlocking Industrial Synergy: Deepening the Value Chain and Driving Inclusive Growth in Nasarawa State,” which continues to attract investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the country.
Nasarawa is already home to the Dangote Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited (NSCL), a key backward integration project in Nigeria’s sugar subsector. When completed, the project is expected to rank among the largest sugar investments in Africa, further positioning the state as an emerging agro-industrial hub.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI) has expressed confidence that the Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 will create new opportunities for SMEs nationwide. Chairman of NASSI, Nasarawa State Chapter, Nidan Manasseh, described the company’s growth trajectory as a model for small and micro enterprises.
“Our strategy is to align local enterprise development with large-scale industrial systems in line with the Trade Fair’s theme,” he said, adding that collaboration between NASSI and the Dangote Group is already helping to scale small businesses across the state.
He further disclosed that thousands of youths have benefited from NASSI’s Empowerment Skill Acquisition Programme, which aims to improve productivity and enterprise capacity.
Also speaking, Regional Director and Senior Adviser to the President of the Dangote Group, Mrs Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, said the trade fair provides a platform for engagement with stakeholders and prospective partners. She noted that the company remains open to collaborations that can unlock new business opportunities and deepen value chain development in Nasarawa.
The ongoing fair continues to serve as a meeting point for industry players seeking to explore investment prospects and partnerships within the state.
