Dangote to build 500mw power plant in Kano as N7bn hospital nears completion

Dangote Group says it has concluded plans to build a power generation plant that will be capable of producing 500 megawatt electricity in the commercial city of Kano.

The Group disclosed that in the next few weeks, it would be signing the final memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Kano State government, as a step towards the official groundbreaking ceremony of the project.

Mansur Ahmed, who is an executive director in charge of stakeholders’ management and corporate communication of the company, gave this hint in his address at the ‘Dangote Special Day’ at the ongoing 36th Kano International Trade fair, weekend.

Ahmed, who represented Aliko Dangote, president of the company, at the special day, noted that the decision by the company to invest in the construction of the power generation plant was borne out of the need to support the socio-economic of the country.

“The resolve of the Dangote Group to invest in power generation is a move to help address the challenge of electricity outages that has being having crippling effect on industrial activities in country, particularly in Kano, and its environs.

“The company choice to site the project in Kano, as a way to resuscitate manufacturing, and other productive operations that is on the verge of completes extinction as a result of electricity outages.

“The power plant is going to generate about 500 megawatt that will serve Kano and it neighbouring states of Jigawa, Katsina, and some parts of Kaduna,” he said.

Similarly, the executive director disclosed that the company had expended about N2 billion so far in the execution of projects under it corporate social responsibility’s component.

“In regard to health the company in the next two weeks will be commissioning seven of the 11 Primary Health Care Centres it is building across the state, and also the company will be mobilizing the contractor working at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Theatre back to site.

Meanwhile, Halima Dangote, chief executive, Dangote Foundation, has revealed that the ongoing construction of a multibillion naira state-of-the-art operating theatre and diagnostic centre at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital is due for completion next year.

Dangote disclosed this when her team visited the Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the weekend.

She said the operating theatre and diagnostic centre would cost the Foundation N7 billion, and attributed the earlier delay to technical hitches and said the new contractor – Dantata and Sawoe – had returned to site.

According to her, the routine immunisation programme of the Foundation is being extended to Bauchi, Yobe, Maiduguri and Katsina.

She said the Foundation’s Business School’s project at Bayero University Kano had gulped N524 million, even as it injected N500 million into Kano School of Technology.

Responding, the state Governor Ganduje said the president of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had done a lot for the Kano people, and the people of Kano would remain grateful forever.

He singled out the contribution of the Foundation to the fight against polio disease, adding that it was indeed a massive intervention, saying with the help of the Dangote Foundation, the state would soon be given its Polio Free Certificate.

“We are ready to do anything to support your effort,” the governor said.
Abba Kailani, the state’s permanent secretary in the ministry of health, expressed government appreciation and promised to support the healthcare centres through staffing.

Secretary to the chairman of Gwale Local Government, Shehu Haza, who represented the chairman of the Council, while commending the Foundation, said government would ensure that the healthcare centres were functional.