Lafarge Africa gets institute

Lafarge Africa Plc has announced the establishment of its driving institute at its Ashaka Plant in Gombe State, North East Nigeria, as part of its commitment to conducting business in a safe and healthy manner for all stakeholders.

The North East Lafarge Driving Institute, which is the third of its kind owned by the company in Nigeria, is designed to provide industry-leading training programmes tailored to the requirements of Nigerian heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

The Supply Chain Director, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said: “At Lafarge Africa, we have a robust vision and well-defined road map to ensure the safety of drivers and external parties involved in our logistics operations. The road map, which was developed in 2015, undergoes continuous improvement in alignment with our road safety focus and key strategic intents to deliver zero injuries and zero fatalities in our operations.”

Speaking at the launch event, the Managing Director, Ashaka Cement, Ibrahim Aminu, revealed that the institute underscores the company’s commitment to achieving ultimate safety mission of zero harm in its operations. “Today’s event is remarkable.

It underscores our commitment to conduct our business with zero harm to people and create a healthy and safe environment for our employees, contractors, communities, and customers, while building progress for the planet.”

According to Aminu, “Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) are enablers of the supply chain industry, and in Nigeria alone, HGVs are responsible for 90per cent of Nigeria’s freight volume by weight. As a result, the new driving institute will instill and ensure a safety culture in our HGV drivers and other third parties involved in our supply chain.”

“At Lafarge Africa, we recognise the need to equip HGV drivers with the basic requirements they need to operate such vehicles. Therefore, continuous investment in driver training and certification programmes to ensure our drivers are well-equipped with the relevant skills needed to share the roads safely with other road users across the country is imperative,” he added.

He continued, “The training programme allows our drivers to improve their skills and knowledge of road safety in a systematic manner. The courses focus on the key principles of defensive driving, which make drivers better prepared to respond to risks on the road.”

The company’s goal is to create a fully structured and well-equipped learning environment to improve the knowledge, safety, and method of truck driving in Nigeria. With an ultra-modern facility housing a lecture hall, a laboratory, and a loading zone, among others, this initiative will help Lafarge Africa improve transportation, increase safety, and thereby reduce Lost Time Injury (LTI).

The Country Head of Logistics, Osaze Aghatise, said Lafarge Africa launched its first driving institute in 2017 in Calabar, Cross River State, followed by the South West Driving Institute in Ewekoro, Ogun State, earlier this year. Since then, over 1,000 drivers have been trained by the institute and have been absorbed as a key part of the logistics value chain to ensure adequate and timely delivery of products to its customers in a safe, efficient, and timely manner.”