The Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, says his conglomerate has commenced work on the N217 billion sugar plantation and refineries in Nasarawa State.
Dangote who made this known Friday at the Government House, Lafia when he visited the State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, to intimate him on the commencement of the project said, the setting up of the factory in the state would provide employment to N30,000 persons.
He said while over 100,000 persons who are skilled and unskilled will eventually get indirect employment, the company would also engage over 10,000 out growers who would be provided with all the necessary inputs and ready markets for their produce.
Dangote said, the refinery which would be located in Tunga, Awe Local Government Area of the state is capable of producing 480 tons of sugar and generate 96 megawatts of electricity for the state which will attract other investors in the state.
“The production capacity of the sugar factory in Nasarawa State will be the largest in West Africa. No sugar factory produces more than 250 tones, so we are doing double in the state. We need about 600 trucks to distribute the sugar across the country”, Dangote said.
He further projected  that, the company will transform the lives of people of the state and most of them will take advantage of the electricity to set up small-scale businesses.
He promised to build new schools and to also renovate existing ones within the host communities and takeover the payment of teachers and employ more in addition to providing pipe borne water for the development of the area.
Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of Dangote Sugar Refineries, Abdulahi Sule, said the project will require about 50,000 hectares of land, adding that, the 40,000 hectares of land provided by the Nasarawa State government presently will not be enough.
In his response, Al-Makura, expressed satisfaction with Dangote’s decision to invest in the state and promised to provide the enabling environment for a smooth operation.