Today, Friday 30 May 2025, the Bayelsa State Government and the Dangote Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will kickstart a chain of investments that will boost the economy of the state.
Governor Douye Diri signed for Bayelsa State government while the business mogul and chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote signed for his company, which took place at Government House in Yanagoa.
Areas the MOU will cover include oilfield and gas development, agro-allied processing, seaport and infrastructure.
Governor Diri, in a statement signed by Daniel Alabrah, his Chief Press Secretary on Thursday said, “This visit is divine even though we had earlier visited you in your factory.
“You said you were also going to reciprocate and today you have. That shows that you are a businessman who keeps his word.
“Bayelsa is known for its richness in oil and gas but beyond these, the state has abundance of natural resources. Some being tapped and some yet untapped.
“As you are aware, the world is moving away from oil to other renewable energy and gas. Bayelsa is the gas hub and there are so many areas you can collaborate with us.
“I want to propose the following areas. We are looking at expansion of your operations at Iseni.
“The state government is doing so much to maintain the peace. We have recently procured and installed CCTV cameras.
“We are also looking at the gas processing plant with the capability to supply neighbouring states. I again invite you to be part of this scheme.
“We want partnership in development of the Agge Deep Seaport. It will serve as a hub to a lot of states around us.
“We are looking at agro-alied processing, focusing on the food sector.
“The oil processing licence owned by the state, nothing has been done about it. We want to partner with you to develop it.”
On his part, Alhaji Dangote said: “As you know, when we met in Lagos, I promised to visit and today I am here to make sure that we partner, create jobs and train youths.
“You have no reason to complain about poverty because you have what it takes to make this state prosperous. The future of our group is now oil and gas.
“No foreign investor will come to our country if we do not lead the way. Our duty is not only to be in the field of oil and gas but also to encourage others.
“That is why I want to partner with Bayelsa to remove the fear of insecurity. We have the best of cooperation with all your officials on the Iseni project.
“It also shows your leadership style is paying off. So I thank you and all your officials for ensuring that our project is going on smoothly.”
The Bayelsa government is determined to use the partnership to promote economic prosperity of the state.
