Dangote Cement Plc has unveiled plans to establish a block moulders academy to address the spate of building collapse in the country.
The company made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, signed by Mr Francis Awowole-Browne, Media and Communications Personnel, Dangote Industries Ltd.
The academy, according to the company, would be structured and equipped to provide the requisite skills needed by block moulders and artisans in the real estate sector of the economy.
National Sales Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mrs Funmi Sanni, said the academy became necessary to encourage young men’s enthusiasm about the profession, seeing that most artisans and block makers were aging.
She noted that one of the surest ways to reduce the phenomenon of building collapse was to checkmate quackery, while imparting the needed skills to those in the profession.
“The company is also ready to support the block moulders who will pass through the academy with the necessary machineries and tools,” she said.
The company’s Group Head, Sales and Marketing, Mr Rabiu Umar, said Dangote Cement had contributed enormously to development of the real estate sector.
Umar said the contribution was through massive investments which made the product sufficiently available.
He identified rapid urbanisation, high cost of land acquisition, rising cost of construction materials, lack of basic infrastructure, inaccurate housing demographics, among others as some of the factors affecting the provision of housing in Nigeria.
Umar said to help address housing shortages, the company 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 initiative in Nigeria.
“Part of our effort towards ameliorating the housing shortage is by constructing large cement plants in Nigeria and many African countries.
“These plants ensure that the basic raw material in the housing sector, cement, is readily available in sufficient quantities.
“We have a dedicated fleet of trucks to deliver both bagged and bulk cement to customers and construction sites and have established depots near all major markets, therefore, bridging the distance between the plants and distributors,” he said.
