The tetrad of Dangote Cement Plc, Lafarge, Royal Ceramics, and CDK Integrated Industries Limited set an enviable record through their exemplary performance at the recently concluded Africa International Housing Show (AIHS), held in Abuja.
Dangote Cement Plc marked an unforgettable presence at the event as it stormed the venue with a powerful delegation led by its Group Head Sales and Marketing, Rabiu Umar.
The management team expressed delight in the quality of issues discussed at the annual event, while it also called for more stakeholders’ collaboration to find a lasting solution to the challenges facing the nation’s housing sector.
Umar said: “We have several platforms whose focus is to attend to the challenges and peculiar needs of the real estate development industry in the country. Given the high cost of developing new estates and in providing affordable houses, Dangote group has come up with some recommendations, some of which are in place and some of which are new. If we look at the tax credit scheme of the Federal government which was initiated in 2019 by the president through the signing of the executive order number seven on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme to develop and deliver Public Private Partnerships with notable investors so as to close the road infrastructure gap in the transportation sector. This has assisted in the construction of many roads. Tax credit can enable us to increase the speed at which we are closing the housing gap.”
Umar also pledged the company’s readiness to partner AIHS on the Affordable Housing Youth Competition, an initiative geared towards developing affordable and sustainable housing solutions through research and innovation.
Meanwhile, the Former Minister of Solid minerals and Mines, Arch Musa Sada, during a tour of the exhibition booths at the event, specifically commended the services of the CDK, while he also passed a vote of confidence on its products.
In the same vein, encomiums have continued to trail the affordable products and quality services offered by the Royal Ceramics Ltd, even as the Indian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Shri G. Balasubramanian, and his deputy, Shri V.S.D.L. Surendra, during a walking tour at the programme, lauded the management of Royal Ceramics for its exemplary services in the area of vitrified, digital, and roofing tiles production in the West African region.
Also, to spice up its presence at the event, the company hosted and organized a dinner for all Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and housing stakeholders on the Day 2 of the AIHS at its mega showroom, located along Ahmadu Bello Way in Abuja.
Crowning it all, a delegation of the Lafarge management team, led by its Commercial Director, Gbenga Onimowo, attended the event in grand style, and was present throughout the four days of the housing expo.
The Director General of the African Development Bank in Nigeria, Mr. Lamin Barrow commended Lafarge for its great works in providing innovative solutions capable of fixing the nation’s housing gap.
This however, earned the company the 2022 AIHS Most Innovative Cement Company Award, which was given to the firm at the AIHS Gala and Awards night, held on the 28th July 2022 at the International Conference Center. Abuja.
