Guinness Nigeria Plc says plans are ongoing to expand its site in Benin with a view to deepening investment and boosting job creation.
The Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria, Baker Magunda, said this on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the acting Governor of Edo, Philip Shaibu, in Benin.
Magunda said the brewing company will also invest in clean water projects for both its utilisation and communities in the state.
“We are interested in the opportunities we see in Edo, Guinness success is beyond dividends for shareholders but impacts on job creation as well as development of host communities.
“Water is important in what we do and we have invested in water recycling to save water and to enable host communities access potable water,” he said.
Magunda also intimated the acting governor of what the company was doing to promote equal job opportunities, reduce climate change as well as protection of the environment.
“We are involved in clean energy projects in West Africa and our goal is to take the project to a sustainable level,” he said, adding that the visit was to appreciate the state government for its long standing support to the brewery’s investment in Edo.
Also speaking, the Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria, Rotimi Odusola, said the company’s water recovery plant in the state with a capacity to treat 800,000 cubic meters of water per day would be inaugurated in a month’s time.
He said the brewery is also involved in empowerment of women in the state as well as enrolment of students in host communities in scholarship schemes.
We are interested in the opportunities we see in Edo, Guinness success is beyond dividends for shareholders but impacts on job creation as well as development of host communities.
Sports development
Earlier, Shaibu, while commending the social corporate responsibility components of the company, sought sponsorship for sporting activities in the state.
He said: “We will like you to sponsor our programmes, especially sporting activities; the easiest way to reduce youth restiveness is engaging them in sports.
“We have identified 15 sporting events that we want to revamp in the state starting from January 2023. We want to take back our place in sports; we now have a standard lawn tennis court, and we want Guinness to take advantage of branding the court with its different brands.”
He also assured of the government’s support in the brewery’s site expansion project noting that the state promotes a private sector driven economy.
“When we have companies like you, issues of energy, clean water can be addressed by both the government and private sector for the betterment of the people,” he said.
The high point of the event was the unveiling of Captain Morgan, a Guinness new product, brewed in Edo to the acting Governor. (NAN)
