Lafarge Africa, PINE partner to rebuild North East

To invest N100 billion in capacity expansion 

Lafarge Africa Plc has expressed willingness to partner with the Federal Government, through the Presidential Initiative for the North East, (PINE), in rebuilding the ravaged region, by contributing to drive the economic turnaround and pave the way for long term economic prosperity of the area.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lafarge Africa plc, Guillaume Roux made the statement after a collaborative meeting with the PINE Committee, led by its Chairman, Prof. Soji Adelaja in Abuja, last week.

Speaking further on Lafarge’s partnership with PINE, Roux said the cement manufacturing giant is a long term investor in North East in particular, and Nigeria as a whole, as can be attested to by the multinational’s continued presence and increasing investment in the region, despite the current security situation there.

He stated that collaborating with PINE was a step in the right direction for the company as it would assist the organization to complete the ongoing N100 billion expansion project in AshakaCem in record time.

“PINE has contributed to our objective of staying in business in all circumstance since the beginning of the insurgence, and we are inclined to work more closely with the Committee at a time like this because we view sustainability as a core part of our business.

Lafarge is not only producer of building materials, but solutions provider for building better cities.” he affirmed. According to Adelaja, the partnership between PINE and Lafarge as a major production and single largest employer in the North East region is imperative to step up the leadership role of Lafarge as a corporate entity that identifies with the region and strives to accelerate its redevelopment.

He urged other operators in the private sector to “follow suit in such noble ventures, bearing in mind that the security of a nation is the bedrock for investment”.

Through the partnership, Lafarge and PINE agreed to focus on key areas including promotion of entrepreneurship, creating a framework for the attraction and retention of critical talents especially in the areas of health and education, use of Lafarge’s existing training centre to satisfy the pressing need for skills acquisition, development of modular classroom solution to return the children to schools, and contribution to the long term ecological rejuvenation and preservation of the region’s physical environment.

Following the partnership agreement between the two bodies, Lafarge would be officially invited to be a member of the PINE Committee.