TheCable

Chairman of Dangote Group of Companies and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, believes  the high rate of unemployment is a major cause of the country’s terrorism challenge.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the ongoing World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA), Dangote noted that there are numerous business opportunities in the country, and he intends to maximise them to counter terrorism.

“If the environment is not conducive, I will not invest in the country,” he said.

“I have investments in different parts of the country. We are even going to invest in Adamawa, where there is Boko Haram. Creation of jobs will stop Boko Haram. We plan to invest $16 billion in the next five years. This would create 180, 000 jobs.”

He lamented that Africans are accustomed to investing their money overseas — a trend that represents one of the continent’s biggest challenges.

“Africans should learn to trade within,” Dangote said.

“You have to keep your money here so that foreigners can come. If we import, we import poverty and export jobs. This is why over the next six years, I would be focusing on building refineries and investing in Agriculture.”