As part of efforts to promote safety in its operations, Lafarge Africa Plc, is investing over ₦132 million to train hundreds of truck drivers in Nigeria. The first batch of 200 drivers will be part of a three-year strategic training plan for 600 drivers. This initiative is the first of its kind in Nigeria. The Director Logistics at Lafarge, Bruno Hounkpati, said the primary aim of our driving institute is to model drivers’ behaviour from the outset while equipping them with adequate training for truck driving. “The school will improve the skill of drivers to ensure that they contribute to promoting safety on our roads. It will also promote professionalism among truck drivers and also create jobs with our third party transport companies,†he stated.
In his remarks, the Head of the Driving School, Osaze Aghatise noted that one major way to reduce road related incidents is to raise the standard of driver training in operation and ensure drivers think about safety first and always while on the road. “This requires the right training and coaching to understand the risks involved in performing a task, to shape behaviors and to develop safety processes,†he added.
The school is in partnership with Transport Services Limited, a fleet management company, and the FRSC. Selected trainees will go through an initial rigorous screening, thorough in-classroom training, state of the art driving simulator and on the road coaching and assessment. Lafarge has carefully selected the instructors with strong local and international experience and certification to ensure trainees are taken through the highest standard of driver training. Going forward, Lafarge contractors will only use drivers from the school.
