Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building solutions company and member of LafargeHolcim, has restated its commitment to invest in Nigeria and forge alliances with Federal Government agencies.
The Chairman, Prince Adebode Adefioye, said while leading other board members including the CEO of Lafarge Africa, Mr Khaled El Dokani, Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi and Mr Gbenga Oyebode and the Head of Public Affairs, Aliyu Ma’aji on a courtesy visit to engage with key government stakeholders in different federal ministries to share updates on Lafarge Africa’s investments in Nigeria and to also seek areas of collaboration.
In his remarks, Prince Adebode Adefioye, Board Chairman, Lafarge Africa Plc, stated that Lafarge was mindful of economic growth and creates employment so that Nigerians can lead better lives.
“We care for people and continue to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. We remain committed to our stakeholders which include our employees, customers, contractors, suppliers and the communities in which we operate.”
The country CEO of Lafarge Africa, Mr Khaled El Dokani disclosed that the company has been in Nigeria for the last 60 years and has invested over 12 million CHF over the past 4 years in alternative fuel projects.
“Lafarge Africa has invested over 12 million CHF over the past 4 years in alternative fuel projects through our Geocycle project. This is geared towards making a significant impact on the environment.
He further stated the company aims to look for areas of partnership in alignment with the social and economic development objectives of the Federal Government especially in the area of the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Lafarge Africa has committed N3 billion in social investment programmes in the last 3 years. At Lafarge Africa, our programmes are driven by a strategic commitment to bridging gaps in areas with the most needs: Education, Economic and Youth Empowerment, Health & Safety and Shelter and Infrastructure.
Accordingly, we continue to monitor the impact of our developmental programmes, for instance, we have recorded over 500,000 beneficiaries in the last three years. As a single intervention and since the inception of the Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition in 2014, we have reached all the states of the federation and impacted over 700,000 pupils. In the last 10 years, we have trained more than 1,200 engineers.’
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, thanked the Lafarge team for their contributions towards infrastructure growth in Nigeria and called for more collaborations with the ministry leading to sustainable results.
In addition, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment expressed his gratitude towards the company for their efforts to increase their production capacity and assured of the government’s support.
Furthermore, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Mohammad Mahmood welcomed the team and thanked them for their contributions over the years in preventing, reducing and controlling adverse environmental impacts within the company’s operations and called for more collaboration with the company and other private organisations.
Source: Nigerian Tribune
