Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has called on Nigerians to end medical tourism and urged the country to begin producing its own drugs
Speaking at the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event held in Lagos on Wednesday, Dangote stressed the importance of strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system to the point where even the wealthy can receive quality treatment within the country.
“What we need to do is to make sure we stop this health tourism and we should now get in to start producing our own drugs,” Dangote said during a panel discussion. “We should now make sure that when we are sick, we don’t have to travel abroad, all of us, but we need to do a partnership with Bill [Gates].”
He noted that the Dangote Foundation, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, played a major role in eradicating polio in Nigeria and has contributed significantly to improving nutrition.
On the business front, Dangote highlighted the impact of his group’s initiatives in transforming Nigeria’s industrial landscape. He noted that Nigeria, once the second-largest importer of cement in the world, now exports more cement than any other African country.
He also pointed out how his fertilizer plant, now the second-largest in the world, has changed the game for local farmers.
“Nigeria now, not only export, we actually export 37% of our fertilizer to the United States of America,” he said.
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