Lafarge Africa Reiterates Commitment To Drive Sustainable Development

Lafarge Africa Plc has restated its commitment to drive sustainable development in the country.

This was contained in the Company 2022 Sustainability Report. The report details Lafarge Africa’s remarkable progress and significant achievements across its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives during the period spanning January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.

Chairman of Lafarge Africa, Prince Adebode Adefioye stated that “I am delighted to present Lafarge Africa Plc latest Sustainability Report, highlighting our steadfast commitment to sustainability and our ongoing journey towards a greener future.”

He said, “the theme of this report, ‘Shaping a Greener Future through Innovation and Collaboration’, encapsulates our dedication to fostering positive environmental and social impacts while upholding strong governance practices.”

The report emphasised Lafarge Africa’s exemplary performance across its four sustainability pillars, namely Climate and Energy, Circular Economy, Nature, and People, underscoring the company’s comprehensive approach to sustainable business practices.

Also, GMD/CEO, Lafarge Africa, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi stated, “we truly believe that sustainable practices are critical for delivering shared value and building a resilient future, particularly in the light of the challenging business environment we find ourselves in.”

According to him, with the unwavering support and collaborative efforts of our shareholders, employees, customers, and communities, we were able to innovate in the areas of manufacturing, supply chain and service delivery to create value for all our stakeholders while preserving our planet for the future generations.

Alade-Akinyemi added that the company during the year achieved a reduction in its CO2 emissions from 595 kgCO2/t in 2021 to 574 kgCO2 /t in 2022 through the use of Alternative Fuel and the deployment of energy-efficient technologies across its production and distribution processes, achieving a global thermal substitution rate of 13.5 per cent compared to 9.4 per cent recorded in 2021.

He noted further that “we continue to focus on the areas with the most needs for our communities by implementing interventions in Education, employment and empowerment, health and safety as well as shelter and infrastructure.”

Head, Sustainable Development & Corporate Brand, Lafarge Africa, Titilope Oguntuga emphasised that “our team is indeed proud of the giant strides we made in 2022.

“Our approach to emerging global trends and regulations has been to proactively monitor and engage, equip our teams with available resources and reinforce our approach in line with the global strategy of our organisation.”

The 2022 Sustainability Report vividly illustrated Lafarge Africa’s steadfast adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards for 2021, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) Sustainability Disclosures, demonstrating the company’s alignment with international best practices in sustainability reporting.