From left, Group Managing Director African Industries Group, Mr Alok Gupta, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite and the Permanent Secretary, Solid Minarals Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe, during the two Ministers visit to the African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, Gujeni Kagarko LGA Kaduna state on Tuesday.Â
The Federal Government of Nigeria says it will continue to support the efforts the African Natural Resources and Mines Limited (ANRML) towards steel development in the country.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake made this known while speaking during his working visit alongside his Industry, Trade, and Investment counterpart, Dr Nkeiruka Nzoka-Anite, to ANRML Steel Plant at Gujeni in Kagarko Local Government Government of Kaduna State on Tuesday.
Commending the company for taking the bold step of building the $600 billion plant, adjudged to be the largest private steel enterprise on the continent, the Minister said the President also asked him to convey his support to the company.
“Before I came here, I told Mr President about this. So he is aware, and he asked me to convey the support of his administration to you,” Alake said.
The Minister said he was particularly delighted that what the company had done is in line with the 7-point agenda he rolled out upon assumption of office towards turning around the sector which emphasises local value addition.
“I am particularly very happy about this because a critical part of my 7-point agenda for the sector is local value addition.
“I made a point that we would no longer license any investor that has no local value addition plan, that the practice whereby people mine minerals and take away is no longer acceptable,” he said.
He implored other investors in the country to see ANRML as an example and emulate them.
On her part, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr Nkeiruka Nzoka-Anite, confessed that the event was a auspicious occasion for her ministry as the development of the steel sector is very critical to the aspirations of the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In our ministry, we came up with Industrial Revitalisation Plan, and the President has approved it,” she said, adding that FEC (Federal Executive Council) had just approved the Infrastructure Development Fund, which is a boost to the industrialisation plan.
“The President is focusing on concrete road model which requires a lot of steel. So steel is going to play a major role in the process. And with the President having such a robust infrastructure plan in place, it means we are going to see a lot more,” she said.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director, African Industries Group, Mr Alok Gupta, went down memory lane to say, “I stand before you with immense pride, reflecting on our journey that commenced in 2016 with the “Community Development Agreement and Land Acquisition” in Gujeni. This journey has culminated in the establishment of a fully integrated iron ore mining and processing plant by 2023, a groundbreaking achievement and the first of its kind in Nigeria.”
Expressing the company’s support for the Renewed Hope agenda of federal government, Gupta said, “Beyond mere business success, ANRML embodies the essence of the “Renewed Hope Agenda” championed by our current esteemed President, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The Chief of Dnata, HRH Sa’Dnata I, Engr James Bitrus, expressed gratitude to the federal government and all other stakeholders for making the steel project in their area a reality.
Acknowledging that the coming of ANRML has been a blessing for them in terms of employment and development. He charged the company to do more in return for the sacrifices made by his people.
