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Tag: Lafarge

  • Shareholders approve Lafarge Africa’s N140b rights issue

    Shareholders approve Lafarge Africa’s N140b rights issue

    Shareholders of Lafarge Africa Plc yesterday authorised the board of directors of the cement company to raise new equity capital up to N140 billion in a major move to deleverage the cement group.

    Lafarge Africa plans to raise the new equity fund through a rights issue, implying that only existing and qualified shareholders will participate in the new issue. The shares will be pre-allotted to shareholders on the basis of their shareholdings as at a predetermined date.

    LafargeHolcim, which holds the majority equity stake of 72.59 per cent, has indicated it will subscribe fully to its rights. LafargeHolcim will pick up its rights under a debt-for-equities deal that will see conversion of LafargeHolcim’s dollar-based loan to equities.

    With the approval by shareholders, the rights issue is expected to be launched in late September and finalised by the fourth quarter.

    Chairman, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Mobolaji Balogun, said the recapitalisation would help to reduce the group’s exposure to adverse foreign currency translation losses as experienced in 2016 following a 40 per cent depreciation of the Naira against the Dollar.

    He noted that the decision of LafargeHolcim to convert existing loans into equity demonstrates the core investor’s continued belief in the Nigeria story, pointing out that the rights issue is the largest so far in the Nigerian capital market and the largest investment in a listed company by an investor.

    According to him, the rights issue will help to reduce the group’s foreign currency exposure by 50 per cent while the remaining portion of the debt, with the support from LafargeHolcim, has been refinanced and hedged for 12 months.

    Balogun said the company has been positioned for better performance in the years ahead as benefits of the turnaround plan launched in the third quarter of 2016 were already counting in the fourth quarter of 2016.

    “We have increased local sourcing of critical materials to lower foreign exchange component of our operational costs. Finally, we are working on a new route to market initiative and improvements in logistics with increased vehicle turn-around and size of fleet of third party providers,” Balogun said.

    Group Managing Director, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Michel Puchercos, said the acquisition of Unicem in 2016 was in line with the group’s capacity expansion plans.

    He noted that doubling of the production capacity of the Mfamosing plant in Calabar to 5.0 million metric tons per annum has contributed significantly to Lafarge Africa’s capacity and footprint in Nigeria as it provides an opportunity to increase the group’s share of the cement market in the South East and South regions.

    He added that the group plans to increase the use of alternative fuel or biomass and locally mined coal to lessen high energy cost and production disruptions due to gas supply shortages.

  • Lafarge, NIOB, partner on capacity development

    Worried by the continued dearth of skilled and experienced manpower in the construction industry, the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), and cement, aggregates and building solutions provider, Lafarge Africa Plc, last week began a construction and building community dialogue series.

    The dialogue series, which held in Ikeja, Lagos, was geared towards bridging the link between the manufacturer and end users through more active participation of professionals in the sector, especially in the built environment.

    Lafarge Africa Marketing Director,  Mr. Vipul Agrawal, while expressing his company’s entry into partnership with NIOB on the dialogue series, explained that Lafarge was not just a cement or aggregates manufacturer, but also a building solutions provider. He further explained that providing building solutions would also entail knowledge sharing with critical stakeholders in the built environment and construction industry.

    The dialogue series, he argued, presented the multinational firm the opportunity to do this and ensured that Nigeria was provided with quality artisans, masons, and other skilled hands needed in the industry.

    “We see ourselves as a partner in the built environment and not just as a manufacturer. When you build a house, you need to have the right plan, the right structural design and we have to work together, good materials are not enough. As Lafarge, we are going beyond the supply of cement and aggregates. We want our clients to be healthy and safe, and there is nobody better to partner than the NIOB; our objectives with theirs are one and the same. People have identified us as a genuine participant in the building process. Nobody has exclusive reserve of knowledge, so we have to think beyond what we are doing,” he explained.

    The NIOB Lagos branch Chairman, Mrs. Adenike Said, who was a panelist at the dialogue session, agreed with Agrawal that a missing link has long existed in the industry, which she identified as the failure to have an interaction between the professionals and other stakeholders in the industry.

    Unknown to several people, Lafarge, she revealed, has done and is still doing a lot in the sector in bridging the gap and cementing stronger ties for all in the sector. She then noted that the dialogue series was a veritable avenue for passing information through professionals to end users who they interact with.

    “Artisans and developers needed to have the right information, which the professionals must provide; we cannot give it if we don’t have it. People need to get value for the investment they make in construction. We are looking at transforming Nigeria’s building and construction industry,” Said remarked.

    She saw the dialogue, first of its kind between Lafarge and the NIOB, as a good cooperation between both entities, basing her submission on the fact that as professionals, they are always in constant touch with the building public always-either in the production process or construction process.

    “So we can bridge the innovation gap between the manufacturer and end users, especially now that we are having cases of building collapse,” she assured.

  • We groom our graduates to be employable – DVC, Babcock University

    We groom our graduates to be employable – DVC, Babcock University

    Undoubtedly one of the frontline private universities in Nigeria, Babcock University, Ilisan, Ogun State, through its operations and forays into ICT revolution and students’ mentorship has remained unrelenting in its drive towards excellence. In this interview with Emorinken Moses, its Deputy Vice Chancellor and College of Health and Medical Sciences provost, Prof. Iheanyi Chukwu Okoro beams more light on the institutions activities, achievements and products.

    Babcock University is one of the few private universities with impressive stories to tell; can you give us a sneak peek into your activities so far?

    Well, as we speak, students have started their exams, one of the things we have going for us is stability. By the grace of God, we have not missed a single day since 1999. And one of the factors responsible for this is the online revolution going on in the institution. Some of our courses are now taken online. Before now, marking, collation, and grading of the scores of students after an examination was an arduous task. You typically would find a lecturer having to mark and grade close to 500 students. However, some of our in-house ingenious staff in the ICT unit developed a software, which is now being used for exams. It was tried last year, and within 30 minutes the exams were concluded and the results came out swiftly.

    This reduced the burden of collation of results for the lecturers. All they now have to do is input the data (scores) and the computer software automatically does the calculations and collation of results instantly.

    Secondly, as a school, we place a premium on the behaviour of our students. We believe that education is more than imbuing academic knowledge to students, but also in the inculcation of ethical and scrupulous behaviours. We train their hearts and make sure that they behave well.

    We have a way of monitoring their behaviour through a tool called the Behavioural Index. We monitor them in their hostels, chapel, class rooms etc. If a student has any infraction or misconduct, he or she is ‘demerited’. Every student has a 60 demerit point; so as a student keeps misbehaving, his or her score reduces. It is like withdrawing from ones account. When you are zero, you go on suspension, and this affects your ‘citizenship grading’. Even if you have a first class, with a zero point of behaviour, you are not graduating because this affects your citizenship rating.

    This form of assessment has also gone online. There is a central coordinating office called the BUMU office (Babcock University Merit Unit). The unit coordinates all the grades from the various points online, and they issue out the grades to the students at the end of a session.

    Can you tell us about the ‘total classroom revolution’ project?

    The Total Classroom Revolution is simply leveraging technology in the deployment of learning and the learning environment. Currently, every classroom in the school has a projector and smart boards. You can also find radio towers at strategic positions within the campus. We intend to have a cloud all over the compound, so that students can access their lectures anywhere they are within the campus. Lecturers can upload courses, and students can refer back to it by downloading it.

    All these congenial educational facilities are powered by electricity. Therefore, the school is investing heavily on a power project called Babcock Power Project, which will supply uninterrupted power round the clock. At first, we wanted to opt for a gas-powered turbine, but because of the huge cost of maintenance, we settled for a power generator that runs for 80,000 hours non-stop…on gas. By implication, it means it can run for 9 years at a stretch.

    Due to the current economic recession in the country, the project has however been stalled a bit; but, with the Naira slowly gaining stature, we hope to push the project further.

    Aside the generating power generator, there are some diesel-powered generators on ground as standby – they can run for 30 hours non-stop.

    All of these efforts are geared towards creating a congenial academic environment for the students and members of staff.

    You have spoken on the importance of behavioural competence of the students; however, focusing on the society as a whole, do you think the Nigerian youths have the right values to lead going into the future?

    To be frank with you, I don’t think we are giving our younger ones good examples. There is a saying where I am from that – ‘When a mother goat is eating the yam, the kid is also looking at the mouth of the mother goat.’ The snake can only give birth to long things like itself. This is the situation of the country now. Until we have a total revolution in the attitudes of minds and behaviours among the older generation (my generation), the concept of examples and mentorship for the younger ones will be a white elephant expenditure. The blame should not always point to the direction of the younger ones. You cannot give what you don’t have. It is my belief that when you have a delinquent child, there are at least two delinquent adults that are propelling such a child. Take for instance examination malpractice; some parents arrange for special centres for their wards; the individual running this centre is a delinquent adult, the parent seeking his or her service is a delinquent adult. Their unethical attitudes can only produce a delinquent child. These acts continue even when the child reaches an institution of higher learning; the child now believes that this is the ideal way to carry on in life. He doesn’t do anything straight anymore because he believes he has to cheat to get things done. However, if the child requests for a special centre and is rebuked instantly by the parent, this leaves an indelible impression on the child.

    My appeal goes to my generation to consider posterity before engaging in acts of malfeasance, corruption, and other related delinquent behaviours.

    This current administration has a mantra – the change begins with me! But it should go beyond rhetorics and advertisement.

    In Babcock, our motto is ‘building leadership through Christian education’. We intend to produce servant-leaders. We continually resound into the consciousness of our students that leadership is about service – it is not what you get from the position, but what you give into that position.

    Here, we have the Babcock University Students Association (BUSA), which is not a student government but an association. We train them on the values that make a complete leader, and the need to be a worthy example. Another important thing about the behaviour of students in Babcock is their responsibility to the environment. If you go round, you will not see a single piece of paper on the ground. When you come to such an environment, you will definitely look stupid to begin to drop wastes on the ground. Our students are well dressed. It is leadership by example – from the management, members of staff, and down to the students.

    Last week, the students had a seminar tagged ‘experience’, which saw the likes of Femi Falana (SAN), Charles Okafor etc. They were on ground to encourage and inspire the graduating students on succeeding. They shared personal experiences about how they became successful in their fields and careers. Also, they enlightened the students about some of the pitfalls they should avoid on their journey to the top.

    There is this assumption that a lot of Nigerian graduates are unemployable. What is your take on this? What is Babcock doing to produce ‘employable’ graduates?

    What makes us stand out is the process of producing our graduates. Regardless of the unemployment in the country, one fact remains that people are consistently being employed. For instance, KPMG, a foremost auditing firm has seen the quality of our students in accounting, and have given us 300 slots for internship every year. From those 300, they will select those that will eventually be employed. Other organisations like ICAN, ACCA, CIMA etc., are partnering with us in Accounting. In computer, the computer professional registration body in Nigeria has named Babcock a centre for excellence in training because they have seen our products. It is the same for other programmes. Also, we have been the overall best in the Nigerian Law School for two years now. That speaks volumes about the quality of our products.

    Students evaluate the lecturers – contents, methods etc., while the lecturers in turn evaluate the students. If a student fails to meet up with 75% of attendance, he or she has failed automatically – it is called “Failure due to absence” (FA).

    When students are graduating they go through a finishing school to prepare them for the labour market. Issues on how to sit at an interview, how to write a CV etc., are considered. The highlight of the programme is usually a job fair where organisations come and interview students live, and possibly recruit them on the spot.

    Finally, we have a centre for entrepreneurial studies that teaches the students all kinds of arts and craft – theory and practical.

    My worry about ‘unemployability’ also bothers on the incessant strikes that used to be preponderant in federal and state-owned schools, which is reducing gradually. This usually affects the quality of content that the lectures give as a result of rushing to meet up with the semester.

    What is the state of Babcock’s Cardiac Centre?

    We have partnered with Tristate Cardiovascular Associates from Delaware in the U.S. It is a team of experts that brings together solution to heart diseases through the collective competence of top intervention cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and radiologists.

    We have developed a state-of-the-art cardiac centre, which is currently the only permanently run cardiac centre in the country today. Other centres may occasional invite surgeons from abroad to come and perform one or two heart surgeries and then go back to their country. However, our surgeons are permanently resident in the institution. The centre, which started in October 2015 have performed almost a hundred heart surgeries, and still counting.

    We are partnering with NNPC, LAFARGE, Primary Health Administrations in the country, and non-governmental organisations (NGO). They refer cases to us.

    Many universities have come to us for academic partnership; amongst them are Caleb University, Adeleke University etc.

    Our medical students go to India for their housemanship for two months each. This is because of the quality of field experience they can get from India because of its seasoned medical department.

    Our computer students also go to Poland for computer training and exposure. In fact, some students also earn an additional degree during their educational stay in Poland.

    We also partner with Birmingham University. Our International and Diplomacy students go there for two years and get their law degrees and come back. These are a few of the kinds of academic partnerships that we are involved in.

    Tell us about the awards Babcock has won in recent times.

    We have received awards from the World Branding Forum in the education segment. We got the award in 2015 and 2016 concurrently. We also received a solid 18-carat gold award plaque, based on the fact that no organisation had ever won the award back-to-back since inception.

    For two to three years now, we have won the best university in Africa award, given by the Association of African Students. We were nominated by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). The interesting thing is that Babcock is not part of NANS, however, their interactions with our students and the qualitative feedbacks they get informed their decision to recommend our institution for the award.

    Also, in the Nigerian Private Universities Debate (NIPUD), our students have consistently emerged tops in the last four years. We encourage our students to be the best they can be.

    Do you think that government is doing enough to encourage private tertiary institutions? Also, what can government do to encourage private tertiary institutions?

    I do not think the government is doing much to encourage private institutions because they see it as business. They only monitor and accredit them through their agencies to ensure that the schools meets up with the minimum standard, however, that is where it stops. The federal government finances government-owned universities using TETFund. Initially, private institutions have always been weary of receiving such funds because as the saying goes – he that pays the piper dictates the tune. But with the biting economic situations in the country, private institutions have started to bite their words arguing that even if the institutions are privately owned, it produces graduates for the nation at large; therefore, it should at least be encouraged with palliative and government largess like the TETFund. It is a cry of desperation because many universities are finding it difficult to cope. We implore government to give us grant in aid. By grant in aid, we mean government provides some level of financial support, monitor its usage, but do not interfere with running the school.

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  • Fayemi praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    Fayemi praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    •Firm offers support in solving energy problem 

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has called on Lafarge Africa, a construction solutions provider in Nigeria, to support the Federal Government’s drive towards ensuring adequate power generation and distribution, particularly in industrial hubs.

    Fayemi, who made the request during a recent working visit to Lafarge Africa’s Ewekoro Cement plant, praised the company for its efforts at generating sufficient power for its operations across the country, especially through the use of biomass. He also praised the cement manufacturer for its initiative of recycling palm kernel shells, which are waste material, as biomass to generate power for the kilns used in making cement.

    According to the minister, the use of biomass in any production process saves money that would have been used to buy fuel and foreign exchange. He assured that although presently, the power generated from Lafarge’s biomass plant generates half of the energy used in firing its kilns, they will ultimately get to 100 per cent.

    “An environment-friendly production site is something to take away from Lafarge Africa here in Ogun State and I hope there are lessons to take on board. That is not to say that coal should not be used because we have coal in Nigeria that will also save us foreign exchange,” Fayemi said.

    Reiterating the importance of power generation for existing and new factories as being critical, Fayemi also noted that power is an essential need for Nigerians, that is why government is desperately in need of adding more to its generation in order to fuel plants and factories that are springing up.

    “Every day, you have a new company springing up and you want to ensure that there is enough power for those companies, whether it’s biomass, coal or natural gas or renewable energy, you what to ensure that you have enough power to use. So, for us, we are impressed with what we have seen and we want to support Lafarge Africa to expand its operations,” the Minister said.

    In his response, the Country CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Michel Puchercos, noted that the effects of the slowdown in the economy prompted the company to seek an alternative means to generate energy for its Ewekoro and other plants.

    “We realised last year that dollars was scarce and energy was scarce in Nigeria. So, the company reacted very strongly to the situation. We said to ourselves, how can we do both? We wanted to do both – keep on producing and saving energy and also getting US dollars.This is how the idea of using biomass came,” Puchercos explained.

    He further said that: “Ogun State being an agriculture hub as well, made it possible for us to produce 50 per cent power from biomass in 2016, which we can grow to 70 – 80 per cent. We aim to roll out the scheme in other plants- Ashaka, in Cross River  State, Gombe State and just across the road in Ewekoro II.”

    According to Puchercos, the production of biomass fuel from palm kernels isn’t restricted to recycling palm kernels. “Burning and recycling wastes like silica and aluminium which are dangerous to man can generate electricity and improve the standard of living. If Nigeria is ready, we are ready to support,” he assured.

    Lafarge Africa a member of LafargeHolcim, in partnership with Ogun State, inaugurated a biomass alternative fuel feeding system last September.  Using palm kernel shells, the plant generates about half of the energy requirement at Lafarge’s cement factory in Ewekoro. There are plans to replicate the technology in its plants across the country.

  • Lafarge achieves 40% use of alternative fuels

    Lafarge achieves 40% use of alternative fuels

    •Records increase in profit in Q4 2016

    WITH a record level of fuel flexibility at its Ewekoro I and Sagamu plants, the turnaround plan of Lafarge Africa Plc is yielding results.

    The cement manufacturer and building solutions provider announced in statement yesterday that its plants not only operate optimally but the company recorded a significant leap in profit after tax in the last quarter of 2016

    On power supply, the statement said from 100 per cent dependence on gas and Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO), the company has achieved about 40 per cent use of alternative fuels.

    “Consequently, all plants are operating at optimal levels, with Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) provisions for 2017 aimed to consolidate energy optimisation at Ashaka, Ewekoro 2 and Mfamosing”, the company said in its financial report for last year.

    According to it, the Mfamosing 2 line, which came on stream on time and below budget, contributed to group cement production in Q4 2016, with cost-saving prospects in the future.

    Lafarge Africa said the record level fuel flexibility was attained at its Ewekoro I and Sagamu cement plants amid country-wide gas shortages.

    The report also described the company’s financial performance as sterling, saying that last year’s results of the company showed all its plants operating at optimal levels, recording profit increase after tax in Q4 2016.

    “Net sales and operating Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) also increased respectively by 12 per cent and by 288 per cent in Q4 2016,” the statement said.

    The company said that within the quarter, third-party syndicated loan of $88.4 million was pre-paid, through a loan refinancing arrangement with LafargeHolcim Group.

    “This inter-company loan was hedged through a Non-Deliverable Futures (NDF) transaction. Consequently, overall $581 million debt was restructured, which removed the FX impact on Lafarge Africa’s results,” the financial report made available to The Nation, said.

    It also added that net debt was reduced to N108.3 billion, below the N120 billion announced, notably supported by CAPEX control and solid cash flows.

    Operating EBITDA for last year’s financial hit N29.0 billion from N67.3 billion in 2015 and profit after tax for 2016 financial year came to N16.9 billion.

    Commenting on the company’s 2016 performance, Lafarge Africa Chief Executive Officer, Michel Puchercos, said: “Our turnaround plan delivered solid results in Q4 2016 in spite of the challenging environment in Nigeria and South Africa.

    “Technical challenges have been resolved with all our plants operating at high reliability. Our energy optimisation plan has proved successful with increased use of Alternative Fuel (AF) to offset gas shortages.”

    Speaking further, Puchercos stated: “Mfamosing line 2 was delivered ahead of time and above specification, and is now fully operational. The new line contributed 338kt in Q4 2016 to cement production volume and is expected to deliver significant cost savings going forward.”

    Looking ahead, he remarked that the company’s immediate objective was to deliver fully on its turnaround plan by optimising its processes, developing its alternative fuel strategy, reducing operational costs to deliver strong EBITDA margins returning to historic levels.

    “In the quarter, a tax credit of N39.7 billion was reported mainly resulting from deferred tax assets generated from UNICEM operations. This contributed significantly to profitability in Q4 and for the full year 2016,” Puchercos said.

    The Company proposed a dividend of 105 kobo for approval at the Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 7.

    Lafarge Africa Plc’s performance comes on the heels of 2017 outlook, an indication that local cement demand would grow between 0 and +2 per cent on account of the macroeconomic environment.

    In addition, business turnaround actions will be further consolidated in 2017 through energy optimisation plan, local sourcing of production inputs, and logistics as well as commercial excellence initiatives to deliver tangible results going forward.

    “We expect cement demand in South Africa to be stagnant, with 0 to -2 per cent decline for the full year. South African operations will intensify on its cost containment programme and commercial transformation plan, to deliver in the short term,” Puchercos said.

    He added that for 2017, Lafarge Africa specifically expects to return operating EBITDA margin back to historical levels, capital expenditure of N31 billion for Nigeria and South Africa operations.

  • Fed. Govt. praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    Fed. Govt. praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    •Firm offers to support in solving energy problem 

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has called on Lafarge Africa, a construction solutions provider in Nigeria, to support the federal government’s drive towards ensuring adequate power generation and distribution, particularly in industrial hubs.

    Fayemi, who made the request during a recent working visit to Lafarge Africa’s Ewekoro Cement plant, commended the company for its efforts at generating sufficient power for its operations across the country, especially through the use of biomass. He also praised the cement manufacturer for its initiative of recycling palm kernel shells, which are waste material, as biomass to generate power for the kilns used in making cement.

    According to the Minister, the use of biomass in any production process saves money that would have been used to buy fuel and foreign exchange. He assured that although presently, the power generated from Lafarge’s biomass plant generates half of the energy used in firing its kilns, but they will ultimately get to 100 per cent.

    “An environment-friendly production site is something to take away from Lafarge Africa here in Ogun state and I hope there are lessons to take on board. That is not to say that coal should not be used because we have coal in Nigeria that will also save us foreign exchange,” Fayemi said.

    Reiterating the importance of power generation for existing and new factories as being critical, Fayemi also noted that power is an essential need for Nigerians, that is why government is desperately in need of adding more to its generation in order to fuel plants and factories that are springing up.

    “Every day, you have a new company springing up and you want to ensure that there is enough power for those companies, whether it’s biomass, coal or natural gas or renewable energy, you what to ensure that you have enough power to use. So, for us, we are impressed with what we have seen and we want to support Lafarge Africa to expand its operations,” the Minister said.

    In his response, the Country CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Michel Puchercos, noted that the effects of the slowdown in the economy prompted the company to seek an alternative means to generate energy for its Ewekoro and other plants.

    “We realised last year that dollars was scarce and energy was scarce in Nigeria. So, the company reacted very strongly to the situation. We said to ourselves, how can we do both? We wanted to do both – keep on producing and saving energy and also getting US dollars. This is how the idea of using biomass came,” Puchercos explained.

    He further said that “Ogun state being an agriculture hub as well, made it possible for us to produce 50 per cent power from biomass in 2016, which we can grow to 70 – 80 per cent. We aim to roll out the scheme in other plants- Ashaka, in Cross River state, Gombe state and just across the road in Ewekoro II.”

    According to Puchercos, the production of biomass fuel from palm kernels isn’t restricted to recycling palm kernels. “Burning and recycling wastes like silica and aluminium which are dangerous to man can generate electricity and improve the standard of living. If Nigeria is ready, we are ready to support,” he assured.

    It will be recalled that Lafarge Africa a member of LafargeHolcim, in partnership with Ogun state commissioned a biomass alternative fuel feeding system last September.  Using palm kernel shells the plant generates about half of the energy requirements at Lafarge’s cement factory in Ewekoro. There are plans to replicate the technology in all its plants across the country.

  • Lafarge inaugurates N260m projects in two communities

    To improve the well-being of its host communities, Lafarge Africa has committed N260 million to community  projects in Ewekoro and Shagamu.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the projects, the Country CEO, Lafarge Africa PLC, who was represented by the Communication and Public Affairs Director, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, explained that the firm’s investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) was aimed at developing its host communities.

    She said Lafarge Africa’s CSR investments were strategic, reiterating the company’s commitment to making positive impact in its host communities.

    Such CSR, she explained, was also borne out of its sustainability strategy with its four main pillars – climate, circular economy, water and nature.

    “Lafarge Africa’s CSR investments are strategic and needs-based. Our commitment to the development of our local communities is unwavering because we recognise host communities as strategic partners to our business,” she stressed.

    Some of the projects in Ewekoro  are a modern police station in Itori; a town hall in Olujobi and a block of classrooms at Lapeleke.

    No fewer than 119 indigenes have benefited from the firm’s Youth Empowerment Scheme while bursaries were given to 204 undergraduate students of the Ewekoro community.

    Other initiatives are farmers’ support programme, which  impacted 127 indigenes and elderly care support programme whose beneficiaries were about 128 senior citizens.

    In Shagamu, the firm said it has invested up to N100 million on community development projects. They include blocks of classrooms in some public schools, boreholes and a health clinic. Educational support materials as well as empowerment tools were also handed to beneficiaries from the various communities in Sagamu.

    The the cement giant offered bursary awards to 100 indigent students of institutions of higher learning and donated 150 dual lockers to public primary schools in Sagamu.

    Ogun State Commissioner for Community Development, Mr. Gbenga Ademosun, said Lafarge Africa has continued to project itself as a partner of the ‘’Gateway State’’ with its people-oriented CSR initiatives.

    He urged the host communities to continue to partner with the company to engender improved performance that would, in turn, make life better for the people of Sagamu, especially considering the economic challenges being faced by businesses.

    He urged the traditional rulers and the people of the communities to put to good use, the infrastructure and equipment received from Lafarge by developing a good maintenance culture.

    Elepe of Epe, Oba Adewale Osiberu, gave royal blessings to Lafarge Africa, for its good neighbourliness, assuring it of continued backing from the good people of Remo, while seeking unceasing   cooperation from the company.

    Also, the Olu of Itori, Oba Abdulfatai Akorede Akamo, prayed for the continued growth of the company, adding that the construction of a modern police station in the headquarters of Ewekoro Local Government would help to meet the security needs of the host community.

  • Lafarge Africa urges safety consciousness among Nigerians

    Lafarge Africa urges safety consciousness among Nigerians

    Ahead of the Yuletide, a leading construction solutions company in Nigeria, Lafarge Africa Plc, has urged Nigerians to be safety-conscious.

    The company also advised all to prepare for the increase in human and vehicular movements during the season.

    The company’s Country CEO, Michel Puchercos, spoke in Lagos office when he addressed reporters on activities for the Yuletide.

    Puchercos said Lafarge Africa was committed to extending its health and safety beyond employees, contractors, communities and customers to the government and the public.

    He said: “At this festive period, the Nigerian government and citizens must do more to prevent accidents and create a healthy and safe environment for families, homes, work places, worship centres, communities, and so on. To achieve this, accident prevention, disaster preparedness, emergency response, periodic health checks as well as first aid training, are important safety measures that must be taken.”

  • Lagos dazzles at Lafarge literacy contest

    Lagos dazzles at Lafarge literacy contest

    The duo of Joshua Awosikunde of Methodist Nursery/Primary School, Agege, and Favour Philip of Darocha Nursery/Primary School, Oshodi, both public schools in Lagos State, proved their superiority over other finalists in the grand finale of the third Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, penultimate week.

    The duo crowned their efforts in the literacy tests, summary and essay categories of the competition with success in the spelling bee in which they recorded a perfect score of 40 marks.  They did not misspell any word in the two-rounds of the spelling bee.

    For their effort, the pupils won an educational grant of N500,000 (N250,000 each) in addition to gifts for themselves and their teachers.

    In second position was the team from Plateau State, Sharon Martins and Aude Samuel who won N400,000 (N200,000 each); and Ekpo Ogochukwu and Obike Miracle from Enugu State. They got N150,000 each.  The remaining three teams from Edo, Gombe and Kaduna States were rewarded with N100,000 consolation prize (per team).

    Teachers of the pupils were not left out.

    The Lafarge National Literacy Competition is organised annually, in collaboration with Ovie Brume Foundation, a non-governmental organisation. It engages pupils in activities that measure and advance their ability to read, write and spell correctly.

    The Group MD/CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Michel Puchercos, said the competition is one of the firm’s social investment programmes developed to take corporate social responsibility beyond her host communities to a wider Nigerian audience.

    “Our motivation is to continue to provide support and interventions in the area of education as a focus area for our social investments to demonstrate commitment to building a stronger Nigeria.

    “For us at Lafarge Africa PLC, we are excited about this initiative of contributing to the breeding of a generation of literate Nigerians as studies have shown that children who have developed strong writing, reading and comprehension skills perform better in their formal or informal educational pursuits. They become lifelong learners and sought-after employees. The commitment to pull the younger generation out of poverty and underemployment should start from now,” he said.

    On her part, Ms. Evelyn Oputu, Chairperson, Ovie Brume Foundation, said their partnership with Lafarge has helped to fulfil a critical goal of providing access to quality education for the less privileged.

    “We are all here today because we have found a partnership in a company like Lafarge that is committed to building better community by giving back to the society and not just to exploit the resources they are exposed to. They have recognised that for our society to grow and evolve to become whole, the education of young people is important,” she said.

    Wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, praised the competition for its impact on learning outcomes.  She said she was impressed by the improved performance of the pupils compared to previous editions.

    “It is commendable that our children are improving in terms of literacy and spelling,” she said.

  • Lafarge Literacy contest final today

    The final of third Lafarge Africa National Literacy Competition will hold at the MUSON Centre, Lagos on Thursday.

    Twelve pupils from Edo, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Lagos and Plateau states who qualified from the regional finals, would strive for supremacy at the event which is organised in partnership with the Ovie Brume Foundation has reached its peak.

    The competition tests the pupils’ ability to read, write and spell correctly. It features literacy tests, essay/summary writing and spelling bees to evaluate their reading and writing abilities.

    Group MD/CEO, Lafarge Africa PLC, Michel Puchercos hoped the brilliance displayed by the pupils in the preliminaries would play up in the final.

    He promised that the organisation would continue to intervene in the education sector as part of its focus areas of social investments.

    “When our children have the right literacy skills, they develop a strong sense of individual well-being and citizenship, which stimulates the foundation to be future contributors to economic development” he declared.

    Chairperson of the Ovie Brume Foundation, Ms Evelyn Oputu, said the initiative has had a positive impact on the pupils and schools.

    “The last three years have brought out the best in the children in terms of confidence building, competitive spirit, greater knowledge and cognitive skills, including the ability to handle pressure,” she said.