By Okechukwu Onunze
Dangote Cement Company PLC said 26,000 workers are now on its payrolls across West Africa.

The Managing Director/CEO, of the company, Shree Junnarkar, who disclosed this, said that out of this figure, in Nigeria, the Group’s Savannah Sugar Company Limited (SSCL), alone has staff strength of 7,000, making it the second largest employer of labour in Adamawa State. The Dangote  Obajana cement factory also has 2,500 permanent staff, while the Gboko Factory also has 1,000 permanent staff.

He further disclosed that about N50billion has been pumped into the Gboko Plant.

“We are expanding the company and aiming at four million metric tonnes capacity from the current 3.5 million metric tonnes. The ongoing project would be completed by the first quarter of next year,” he said.

General Manager of the Gboko factory, Marcus Jeremiah, explained that of the 1,000 permanent staff, 780 are Nigerians and the remaining are expatriates.  He said out of the 30 management staff, 22 are from immediate local community, Gboko and its environs.

On corporate social responsibility, he said that the Gboko plant has spent about N140 million in the electrification of communities. According to him, the company also gives yearly education scholarship students from the communities.