Lafarge commissions CSR projects in host communities across country
Philemon Adedeji
As part of its commitment to improving its communities, leading building and innovative solutions company, Lafarge Africa Plc., has flagged off the commissioning of several CSR projects in its various host communities across the country.
The formal hand over and symbolic presentation of CSR projects by Lafarge Africa to its host communities, was to give back, and demonstrate its commitment to doing sustainable business in Nigeria as a responsible corporate citizen. This significant occasion took place across all the communities where Lafarge Africa has its operations.
Lafarge Africa’s CSR intervention in its host communities cuts across four cardinal areas of social intervention which include education, health, infrastructure development, and other forms of support.
Speaking at the CSR commissioning event held at the company’s cement plant at Mfamosing, Cross River State, the Country’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khaled El Dokani, assured the Mfamosing communities of the company’s long-term commitment to investing in the community and its people. “As an organisation, we recognise our host communities as our partners, building progressively together for the future, while ensuring that we leave positive footprints that will impact the society.”
According to El Dokani, Lafarge Africa’s commitment to the development of its local communities is unwavering and called for continued support and understanding of all of its stakeholders to enable it to achieve set goals.
While reeling out Lafarge’s 2022 CSR scorecard in Mfamosing Community, El Dokani said the company provided education support to 100 Primary and Secondary School beneficiaries and 40 Tertiary Students beneficiaries. To further reiterate its commitment to education, Lafarge also partnered with the NYSC in deploying teachers (corps members) to improve the quality of learning for the students.
In addition, the company trained and empowered 20 beneficiaries of the host communities with skills and equipment to start up their businesses while food items and business equipment were donated to 60 elders across the host communities.
To secure and improve access to quality healthcare for the people of Abiati and Essien Town Communities, Lafarge constructed new Health Centres in both Communities and renovated the Health Centre at Akansoko Community to further demonstrate its commitment to promoting the good health of its community members. Members of the community also enjoyed the medical outreach carried out across the communities and other interventions to promote the livelihood of the good people of Mfamosing community.
In alignment with its commitment to improving the quality of life of the people of the communities through infrastructural development, Lafarge renovated a block of 3 classrooms at Akwa Ikot Effanga Community, constructed a skill training Centre at Kasuk Community and completed a solar street lights project at Mfamosing and Obutong Communities. It also constructed and furnished the town halls at Diamond, Mbobui, and Ekong Anaku communities. This is to promote community engagement and dialogue among the people.
Speaking during the formal handover and symbolic commissioning of CSR projects in Ewekoro, Ogun State, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Khaled Dokani, expressed the company’s appreciation to the government of Ogun State as well as the traditional rulers for the exemplary leadership they continue to display.
He also thanked the Ewekoro Community Relations Committee for supporting the company’s goal of creating sustainable, peaceful communities, and the people of Ewekoro for creating an enabling environment for its business.
He listed the projects to include the newly constructed fence for the Health Centre at Olujobi community, the newly constructed 14-bed Health Centre at Papalanto, the Donation of medical equipment to the Health Centre at Wasinmi Alafia, newly constructed Staff Quarters for the Health Centre at Elebute.
According to him, “all these projects will further secure and improve access to quality healthcare for the people of Olujobi, Papalanto, Wasinmi Alafia, Elebute communities and its environs.”
Others include the construction of a Block of three classrooms with toilets and a borehole at Olapeleke.
“This is in alignment with our commitment to improving the quality of life of the people of the communities through infrastructural development,” he added.
To further reiterate its commitment to education, over 204 students of higher institutions from the community benefited from the company’s bursary awards. Also, in a bid to improve the quality of produce from the farmlands and create more opportunities for the people to live better, Lafarge provided agricultural support to farmers while several members of the Ewekoro community have also benefitted from its economic empowerment programmes.
According to Lafarge Africa’s Country Chief Executive Officer, the building solutions company had earlier commissioned several projects at the various host communities of its Ashaka plant in Gombe State. Lafarge Africa built and equipped Maternity Clinics at Gongila Community and Juggol Borkono Community both at Funkaye while medical outreach programmes were also organised for members of Funkaye and Maiganga Communities. In addition, 250 tertiary students benefited from bursary awards. A dilapidated block of two classrooms was also fully renovated for Juggol community and handed over for use by pupils attending the Juggol Local Education Authority Primary School.
Other interventions by the company include provision of motorized hand pump bore hole at Galdimari and Bakari communities in Funkaye as well as at Kargo Burodi community, Maiganga, food palliative distribution to vulnerables of Funkaye Communities in collaboration with Gamunan Care Support Group and the provision of food palliative support to flood disaster victims in Funkaye Local Government.
Various government representatives and community leaders present at the events all took turns to express their joy and gratitude to Lafarge for the commitment to improving both their immediate host communities and others.
