Dangote Cement Acquires 2,000 New Vehicles to Boost Distribution

Dangote Cement Plc has acquired 20,000 additional vehicles to enhance the distribution of the company’s cement products in the country.

The company’s Spokesman, Tony Chiejine, said in a statement on Monday in Lokoja that the new vehicles, made up of trucks, trailers, and tippers, were acquired at a cost of $150 million US dollars.

According to him, the company had recently taken delivery of another set of trucks, trailers, bulk tankers, tippers, cargo trucks, and bulk cement tankers.

“These assets would meet the expected increase in demand for transportation of cement to every part of the country and create employment for over 4,000 people in Nigeria,” he said.

“We have acquired the new trucks in line with our new expansion capacity in Obajana, Ibese, Gboko, and the new cement plant coming up on stream at Okpella, Edo State in a few weeks' time,” Chiejine said.

He disclosed that the Dangote Fertiliser Company had just received 500 trucks from Dangote Sinotruk West Africa Ltd. for the distribution of urea brand of fertilizer to different parts of the country.

“The Dangote Sinotruck West Africa Ltd is a joint venture between Dangote Industries Ltd and Sinotruk China,” Chiejine explained.

He quoted Alhaji Abdu Dantata, Group Executive Director, Logistics and Distribution, as saying that the acquisition was due to the growing needs of the business.

“This is especially as regards the increased trucking demands encountered lately, due to the surge in the demands for cement.

“The establishment of our clinker export terminals at Apapa and Onne Port led to the purchase of heavy-duty tippers for haulage of clinker from the plants to the terminals.

“The introduction of these trucks would improve customers’ demand, improve on job creation in the country, as well as promote the economic development of Nigeria,” Dantata said. ( NAN)