By Dare Akogun
Worried by the menace of collapse building in the country, Dangote Cement Plc is planning to establish an academy that will support the seamless transfer of requisite skills to block makers and artisans in the real estate sector of the economy.
Dangote Cement’s National Sales Director Mrs. Fumi Sanni while speaking at the Dangote Special Day at the ongoing Africa International Housing Show in Abuja (AIHS), said the Academy has become necessary as most of the artisans and block makers are aging, while young men are not enthusiastic about the profession.
She said one of the sure ways of reducing the phenomenon of collapse building is to check quackery while imparting the needed skills to the block makers and artisans.
Mrs Sanni, also revealed the company was also ready to support the block makers who will pass through the Academy with machinery and tools.
Speaking earlier, Dangote Cement Group’s Head, Sales and Marketing Mr. Rabiu Umar said Dangote Cement has contributed enormously to the development of the real estate sector through massive investment in cement that has made the product to be available.
“Over twenty years ago, we were importing cement, today, we are exporting cement,” Mr. Umar said.
He identified rapid urbanization, 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.
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 ongoing Africa International Housing Show in Abuja (AIHS), the Coordinator of the Show, Bar. Festus Adebayo appealed to the President of the Dangote Group Alhaji Aliko Dangote to intervene in the massive housing deficit bedeviling Nigeria.
