In line with its commitment to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by aligning its operations to support the reduction of poverty in Nigeria through quality Education as well as Gender Equality, reduced inequalities and through alliances and partnerships, Lafarge Africa Plc has launched a “Back to School” campaign to support school enrolment and also address the challenges of out-of-school children in its Mfamosing host community schools. The company’s efforts and commitment to Education are in line with the SDGs Goal 4- Quality Education.
Lafarge Africa Plc is complementing government efforts to raise the standard of literacy and primary education in Nigeria through the provision of basic educational materials such as tuition fees, uniforms, sandals and school bags, which affected school attendance rate in Mfamosing, one of its host communities.
While flagging off the Back 2 School initiative at the Mfamosing Primary School, the Cross River State Commissioner for Education, Dr Amanke Ogar, applauded Lafarge Africa for consistently investing in initiatives that have a direct impact on the literacy ratio in the country. He noted that Lafarge Africa is indeed contributing to the development of the Nigerian child through its numerous educational interventions.
Speaking on the Back 2 School campaign, the Industrial Director at Lafarge Africa, Segun Shoyoye said: “For a country like ours, we owe it a duty to collaborate with the government to urgently fix the education sector today to better equip generations and prepare them for the future”.
The Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development Director, Folashade Ambrose Medebem in her remarks said, “At Lafarge Africa, we are proud of our contributions towards complementing the efforts of stakeholders in bridging the literacy gap together. Nigeria is reported to have one the highest number of out-of-school children according to UNESCO and we look forward to forging strategic partnerships that can help in reducing this number. We are committed to supporting the improvement of learning experience for the pupils in our Mfamosing host community. This is in addition to all the contributions of Lafarge Africa to supporting educational infrastructure on a national scale.”
Folashade Ambrose also acknowledged staff members of Lafarge Africa Plc under the auspices of Friends of the Community (FOC) who make personal contributions to prepare the future generation to compete globally with ease.
Lafarge Africa’s commitment to helping future leaders improve the level of literacy and quality of education is evident as the Back 2 School campaign facilitated by Lafarge Africa’s Friends of the Community provided 2,000 pupils from its host community with school uniforms, bags, sandals and writing books. In addition to this, Lafarge Africa is also investing in Vocational skills training schemes as well as Technical Apprenticeship/ Employability Programmes to equip indigenous young school leavers with skills to chart a career path in life.
About Lafarge Africa Plc
Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building materials company is a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, a world leader in building materials. Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lafarge Africa is actively participating in the urbanization and economic growth of Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa.
Lafarge Africa has the widest footprint in Nigeria with cement operations in the South West (Ewekoro and Sagamu in Ogun State), North East (Ashaka, in Gombe State), South East (Mfamosing, Cross Rivers State) with Ready-Mix operations in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Lafarge Africa has a current installed cement production capacity of 10.5Mtpa.
Lafarge Africa leverages on its innovative expertise to provide value-added products and services solutions in the building and construction industry in Nigeria. Additional information is available on the website at www.lafarge.com.ng
About LafargeHolcim
As the world’s global leader in building solutions, LafargeHolcim is reinventing how the world builds to make it greener and smarter for all. On its way to becoming a net-zero company, LafargeHolcim offers global solutions such as ECOPact, enabling carbon-neutral construction and Firestone roofing systems for higher energy efficiency in buildings. With its circular business model, the company is a global leader in recycling waste as a source of energy and raw materials through products like Susteno, its leading circular cement. Innovation and digitalization are at the core of the company’s strategy, with more than half of its R&D projects dedicated to greener solutions. LafargeHolcim’s 70,000 employees are committed to improving quality of life across more than 70 markets through its four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.
