Dangote Cement Plc, Africa's leading cement producer, has significantly strengthened its talent pipeline by inducting nearly 200 newly trained engineers and professionals into its workforce. This move follows the successful completion of the company's intensive 18-month Graduate Trainee Programme, underscoring its commitment to job creation, skills development, and local capacity building in Nigeria.
The newly inducted trainees, drawn from engineering, finance, IT, and other fields, concluded a rigorous development journey. The programme, administered through the Dangote Academy and across the company's four plant locations and head office in Nigeria, combined classroom instruction, executive mentorship, and hands-on project execution. The initiative is strategically designed to groom high-potential professionals for future leadership roles within the industrial giant.
Speaking at the induction ceremony in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Arvind Pathak, highlighted the dual purpose of the event. “We are honouring some of our staff for their long service to the company, and we are also celebrating our graduate trainees who are officially rounding off their induction programme,” Pathak said. He commended the collective resilience of employees, noting it enabled the company to retain its market dominance despite economic challenges.
The company also used the occasion to honour long-serving staff with Long Service Awards and Hall of Fame Employee Awards, complete with substantial monetary rewards. The Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr. Ahmed Ladan Gobir, emphasized the strategic importance of investing in youth. “Nigeria’s greatest asset is its young people, and at Dangote Cement we are deliberate about empowering them with the skills, exposure, and opportunities required to succeed,” Gobir stated.
Four engineers were specially recognized for outstanding performance during the programme. According to the Programme Coordinator, Mr. Iyal H. Abdulkareem, Engr. Mary Nnana, Engr. Ahmad Sunusi Abdullahi, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Ahmed, and Engr. Ebenezer Afonja demonstrated exceptional industrial competence. Their contributions ranged from critical plant maintenance and system optimizations to supporting the deployment of cement mill optimisation systems at the Obajana and Okpella plants.
Pathak reaffirmed the company's ambitious vision, stating, “Dangote Cement remains Africa’s leading cement producer and is targeting a production capacity of 90 million metric tonnes per annum across the continent by 2030.” He added that through collective effort, the company has transformed Nigeria from a cement importer into a net exporter to neighbouring nations.
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