Dangote Cement Plc has put in place plans to establish a Block Moulders Academy, in a concerted effort aimed at stemming the spate of building collapse in the country,The Academy, according to the company, would be structured and equipped to support the seamless transfer of requisite skills to block makers and artisans in the real estate sector of the economy.Speaking at the Dangote Special Day at the just concluded Africa International Housing Show in Abuja (AIHS), National Sales director, Dangote Cement, Mrs. Fumi Sanni said, the Academy has become necessary as most of the artisans and block makers are ageing, while young men are not enthusiastic about the profession.He said, one of the sure ways of reducing the phenomenon of building collapse is to check quackery, while imparting the needed skills to the block makers and artisans.
According to her, the company was also ready to support the block makers who will pass through the Academy with machineries and tools.As part of the effort to ensure cement availability, Sanni said, the company has built over a hundred cement depots across the country.Speaking earlier, head, Sales and Marketing,
Dangote Cement Group, Mr. Rabiu Umar said Dangote Cement has contributed enormously to development of the real estate sector through massive investments in cement that has made the product sufficiently available, saying, ‘over 20 years ago, we were importing cement, today, we are exporting cement.
He identified rapid urbanisation, high cost of land acquisition, rising cost of construction materials, lack of basic infrastructure, inaccurate housing demographics, poor funding/lack of access to affordable finance and inadequate policies as some of the factors affecting the provision of housing in Nigeria.
He said: “towards helping to address housing shortages, Dangote Cement set up a department whose focus is to attend to the challenges and needs of real estate development in our market. The idea is to engage in project partnerships, collaborations, and participation in Real Estate development initiatives in Nigeria.
”The company’s head, Technical Sales, Mr. Aniki Adeize Ayodeji said, the company currently trains the artisan on the right mix.Meanwhile, the federal government has been urged to collaborate with Dangote Cement Plc to mitigate the housing deficit in Nigeria.
Speaking on the sideline of the Housing Show, the coordinator, Bar. Festus Adebayo appealed to the president of the Dangote Group Alhaji Aliko Dangote to intervene in the massive housing deficit bedevilling Nigeria.He said it is apparent that the government alone cannot do it, advocating for a Public Private partnership (PPP).Adebayo urged the private sector to consider using housing as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), saying, “the Africa International Housing Show is Africa’s biggest housing and construction expo, a forum that brings together all real estate stakeholders to discuss and explore ideas to promote Africa’s housing industry to the international market.”
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