Lafarge Targets Bricklayers, Technicians in Renewed Campaign Against Building Collapse

By Ugo Aliogo, Nduka Chinenye and Nkechi Elechi

In furtherance of its commitment to provide sustainable housing solutions to stakeholders and curb the increasing incidences of building collapse in Nigeria, Lafarge Africa Plc, a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, has organised a training workshop for bricklayers and technicians in the construction and building industry.  The training which was flagged off in Shagamu, Ogun State was aimed at ensuring that construction workers and artisans, are empowered with latest building techniques.

The constant training of bricklayers and artisans is an integral part of Lafarge Africa Plc’s operations in Nigeria. In 2013, Lafarge began training of block makers and artisans in 2013, setting a record as the first cement manufacturer in Nigeria. Presently, it has also leveraged on a comprehensive research on building collapse from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). The SON report revealed that poor quality building materials and incompetent workers account for most collapsed building in the country.

Speaking at the event, the Technical Service Manager Bukola Adebisi, said there was need to constantly improve the knowledge of the trainees with modern trends as well as safety precautions. He added that most individual home builders in Nigeria rely on bricklayers for most of the construction decisions.

“This training is intended to form a good synergy between the Association of Bricklayers and Lafarge Africa PLC because they (bricklayers) are involved in over 95 percent of buildings in the informal sector in Nigeria,” noted Adebisi.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Association of Bricklayers, Abdullah Saheed, commended the company for the training and empowerment, stressing that he would ensure that bricklayers always use the right quality and quantity materials for all building projects.

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