Friday, January 9, 2026 - Makurdi and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos — The federal government has commended Dangote Cement Plc for making measurable and sustainable impacts in its host communities in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State through the execution of key community development projects.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake,
gave the commendation at the inauguration of Dangote Cement's
multi-million-naira water projects, scholarship awards and youth skill
acquisition programme in the area.
Represented at the event by an Assistant Director of Mines
and Environmental Compliance in Benue State, Mrs. Adijatu Usman, the minister
said Dangote Cement had demonstrated compliance with its obligations under the
Community Development Agreement (CDA).
According to him, the CDA is a federal government policy
framework that requires mining companies to reinvest part of their profits into
host communities to promote sustainable development.
"I can tell you that Dangote Cement has delivered
several projects for its host communities," the minister said.
"The project was a fallout of a federal government
policy for companies such as Dangote to give back to their host communities.
"It is a federal government policy for mining companies
to reinvest part of their profits into host mining communities so as to impact
the communities, and as a result of that policy we have had a series of
engagements with them.
"There are six of these communities here. We sat with
them several times and these projects are certified community-based projects
because the communities agreed that they needed these projects. We are here
today because the projects have been completed."
He urged the benefiting communities to take ownership of the
projects and ensure their protection and sustainability to guarantee long-term
economic development.
"What we expect is for the communities to see these
projects as their personal projects; own them and protect them, so that they
will be sustainable. That way there will be economic development within the
communities," he said.
"We share in their joy as we present these projects to
them, and we believe that mining will be sustainable."
The minister also commended the Industrial Training Fund
(ITF) for partnering with Dangote Cement and supervising the youth skill
acquisition programme.
Speaking at the inauguration and handover ceremony, Head of
Social Performance at Dangote Cement Plant, Gboko, Dr. Johnson Kor said the
projects were targeted at addressing critical needs, particularly access to
potable water, in the host communities.
"We are here today to commission CDA projects that were
earmarked for these host communities since December 2024," Kor added.
"These are water projects, including motorised and
solar-powered boreholes. The Community Development Agreement was entered into
in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the
host communities, other stakeholders and the Plant.
"It is a five-year agreement, and this is the first
year. By next year, we will be moving into the second round. As you can see, we
are also working on some electricity projects which are yet to be
completed."
He explained that many of the benefiting communities had
long struggled with access to clean water, relying on streams and rivers due to
their proximity to River Benue, despite having hand-dug wells.
"Therefore, we felt there was a need to provide water
for them, and they are happy with this gesture by Dangote Cement Plc," he
added.
According to him, the boreholes are located in Pass Brother,
Mbaakpoghol-Mbatyu, Mbaswa-Mbatser and Agboghol-Amua communities.
Reacting on behalf of the beneficiaries, the District Head
of Mbaakpoghol-Mbatyu, Chief Kunav Anum, expressed appreciation to Dangote
Cement for the intervention.
"We are very excited. We didn't know that this would
happen so soon in this community. It came as a surprise, and we are grateful to
Dangote Cement Plc for the gesture," the monarch said.
He noted that the community had earlier benefited from
electricity supply facilitated by the company and pledged continued support for
its operations.
Meanwhile, Dangote Cement, in a statement, disclosed that
its scholarship fund for host communities had been reviewed upward to N28.8
million this year, with its coverage expanded to include all six host
communities in line with the CDA.
The company said the expansion was aimed at promoting
equity, inclusiveness, and shared benefits, adding that several other projects
have been executed or are ongoing. These include the Women Empowerment
Programme, Farmers Empowerment Programme and Youth Empowerment Programme, all
designed to enhance livelihoods and deepen socio-economic development in the
host communities.
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