The President and Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to urgently convene a national retreat to resolve Nigeria’s persistent electricity crisis, warning that widespread power outages could undermine the country’s industrialisation drive and economic growth.
Dangote made the appeal at the official national launch of the National Industrial Policy 2025 in Abuja, themed “From Policy to Productivity: Implementing Nigeria’s Industrial Future.”
The policy emerged against the backdrop of a weak manufacturing sector, which, due to poor electricity supply, high production costs, limited access to finance, infrastructure deficits, and heavy reliance on imports, has been constrained.
The event was attended by top government officials, captains of industry, and development partners, with President Bola Tinubu represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In his goodwill message, Dangote stressed that without stable electricity, Nigeria would struggle to create jobs, drive industrial productivity, or achieve sustainable economic growth.
“One of the things that I want to advise Your Excellency, Mr Vice President, is to call a national forum where we will have a one- or two-day retreat and resolve the issues of power. Because without power, Mr Vice President, there is no way in any country you can create growth or create jobs. So, power means growth. No power, no growth. So we must make sure that we tackle this issue,” he said.
His comments were greeted with applause from participants, including the Vice President. Dangote noted that while government policies to support industrialisation were commendable, the electricity challenge remained the single most critical constraint to manufacturing and job creation.
