Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has alleged that French cement giant, Lafarge, mounted obstacles against Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, during his push to establish himself in the cement industry.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that French cement company, Lafarge, allegedly made concerted efforts to frustrate the business ambitions of Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote in the cement sector.
Obasanjo made the disclosure on Wednesday while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Special Economic Zone in Lamu County, Kenya.
According to the former President, Dangote encountered significant opposition from Lafarge while attempting to build his cement business.
He said the French company allegedly “put every obstacle” in Dangote’s way in an effort to prevent him from succeeding.
Obasanjo said, “The people who really didn’t want Aliko to succeed in cement production were from a French company called Lafarge, and they put every obstacle in Aliko’s way.”
Despite the alleged resistance, the former President said Dangote persevered and eventually expanded his cement manufacturing operations beyond Nigeria into other African countries, including Senegal.
Obasanjo used Dangote’s experience in the cement industry to illustrate the Nigerian businessman’s resilience and expansion across the continent.
The remarks came as Dangote took another major step in his African industrial expansion with the commencement of the refinery project in Kenya.
The proposed Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ is projected to have a refining capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day when completed, with an estimated investment cost of $16bn.
The project is expected to broaden Dangote’s petroleum and petrochemical footprint beyond Nigeria and deepen his involvement in Africa’s energy and industrial sectors.
The development follows the establishment of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lagos, which has emerged as one of the continent’s largest refinery projects.
Obasanjo, who has consistently advocated greater African industrialisation and reduced dependence on imported manufactured products, described Dangote’s business journey as evidence of the capacity of African entrepreneurs to build large-scale industries despite challenges.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that Lafarge has historically been a major player in Nigeria’s cement industry. The company later became part of LafargeHolcim, now Holcim, following a global merger.
Obasanjo’s claim about the alleged efforts to frustrate Dangote was not accompanied by specific details of the obstacles or the circumstances surrounding the dispute in the remarks reported.
.....
Subscribe To Papers Nigeria HERE
