Dangote Cement Plc has initiated a significant Farmers Empowerment Programme in Benue State, a region widely recognized as the food basket of the nation. This innovative initiative aims to empower 50 selected farmers from the company’s host communities within the Gboko Local Council Area of Benue State. The primary objective is to enable these farmers to cultivate both subsistence and cash crops in commercial quantities, fostering agricultural productivity and economic growth in the region.

The beneficiaries of the programme were carefully chosen from six catchment areas of the local council. The General Manager, Social Performance, Johnson Kor, lauded the programme as "historic and innovative" during its launch. Kor emphasized that this farmers' empowerment scheme marks the inaugural programme to be rolled out since the Community Development Agreement (CDA) was signed with the immediate host communities in December 2024, signifying a progressive execution of the CDA's captured projects.

This latest philanthropic effort by Dangote Cement follows closely on the heels of other community-focused initiatives. Barely two months prior, the company provided cash grants to businesswomen in Gboko communities to stimulate local business activities. Furthermore, Dangote Cement had previously demonstrated its commitment to education by increasing bursary payments to students from host communities by over 100 percent.

According to Munusamy Murugan, the Plant Director of Dangote Cement's Gboko Plant, represented by Soom Kiishi, Head of Production Department, the company’s support extends beyond initial empowerment. It will also include the provision of crucial agricultural resources such as fertilizers, agrochemicals, Knapsack Sprayers, and various types of seedlings to the participating farmers. Murugan indicated that while this marks the "first batch," it is unequivocally "just the beginning, and certainly not the end." The company intends for this to be an annual event, though the specific focus of the empowerment programme may vary each year, depending on the preferences and needs of the benefiting communities.