National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Aliko Dangote is now a coal miner as Tanzania hasoffered his Dangote Cement Company in the southeastern town of Mtwara, land tomine coal for its operations.
Tanzania’s Ministryof Energy and Minerals at the weekend handed a 10-square-kilometre plot of landto the $500 million cement factory set up in 2015 by Aliko Dangote, Africa’srichest man.
The factory has an annual capacity of 3 milliontonnes.
According to NAN and local media The Citizen, thecoal concession was sanctioned by President John Magufuli to allow the companyget a reliable supply of coal to fuel its activities.
Tanzania has bannedthe importation of coal from South Africa and Tancoal, the only one coalproducing company in the country, cannot meet the entire market demand.
Dangote runs onexpensive diesel generators and requested Tanzanian government support lastyear to supply natural gas at a reduced price.
President Magufulilater intervened after a meeting with Nigerian billionaire and the company’sowner Aliko Dangote over stalled negotiations on prices.
He blamed middlemenfor the delay in supply plans and said Dangote “will now buy natural gasdirectly from the state-run TPDC (Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation)”.
Dangote, Africa’sbiggest cement producer, is seeking to double Tanzania’s annual output ofcement to 6 million tonnes. It plans to roll out plants across Africa.
