CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. GOMBE GOVERNMENT CHALLENGES ASHAKA CEMENT ON MORE INTERVENTIONS

 5th December,2023

Corporate Social Responsibility.Gombe Government challenges Ashaka Cement on more interventions.

... as the Company observes 2023 community day.

  The Ashaka cement company has commissioned projects executed by Ashaka Cement PLC as part of the Company's Corporate Social Responsibility.

  The commissioning which was as symbolic took place at  the company's premises in a gathering marking the 2023 AshakaCem Community Day.

  Projects executed by the company to the host communities, Gombe State and States of the Northeast include, solar powered boreholes, maiganga doctors quarters, blocks of classrooms, roads rehabilitation and scholarships among others.

  In an address shortly before performing the commissioning the Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau, Ph.D, appreciated the company for the various interventions to the host communities and the state as a whole.

  The Deputy Governor said the establishment of Ashaka Cement PLC since 1974 had attracted a lot of developments ranging from social infrastructure, job creation and revenue drive towards overall sustainable socioeconomic development of not only the area but the entire Gombe State.

  The Deputy Governor however tasked the management of the company on the need to contract the deplorable road from the junction leading to the company.

  He noted that the communities should be taken care of in a manner as to alleviate their sufferings and mitigating the need for agitations to avoid frictions that take place between companies and host communities.

  The Managing Director, Ashaka Cement PLC, Alh. Ibrahim Aminu said the Community Day is to encourage Community relations and to appreciate understanding by way of providing and commissioning projects for the people.

"We at Lafarge Africa PLC, a member of Holcim Group the world leader in Building Solution Materials, place a very high premium on the development of our host communities by ensuring that we carry out our operations in the safest and environmentally conducive atmosphere. Our Sustainability Pillars of Climate & Energy, Circular Economy, Nature and People attest to our cardinal principle of attaching high priority to the social wellbeing of the communities around our operations".

"In the area of corporate social responsibility, over the years, the company has provided rural roads, electricity supply installations and connection of communities to the national grid, healthcare facilities, scholarships, modern agricultural programmes aimed at boosting the capacity of subsistence farmers, fertilizer distribution, provision of educational facilities to the neighbouring communities, and the entire state (such as classrooms, laboratories, exams halls and the computer based JAMB Centre - one of the largest in the North-east, if not the largest),".

"After the State Government, Ashaka Cement is a largest single employer of labour in Gombe State. It provides lots of direct and indirect job opportunities for the teaming population of Gombe State and especially the neighbouring North Eastern States"

"The Community Day Ceremony we are having today is part of desire to continue to strengthen the relationship between our business and our host communities and other key stakeholders especially the Gombe State Government, under whose support and collaboration, we continue to enjoy the peaceful environment that aids our business operations"

"In your presence today, Your Excellency, distinguished invited guests, we are going to make formal presentation of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions to the good people of our Host Communities. The year 2023 has been quite remarkable in terms of the successes we recorded in the area of our social impact activities and social investments. The host communities represented by their respective Community Relations Committees independently chose the community development projects for the year based on the outcome of their consultations with the larger communities. On the basis of availability of budgets, we harmonised positions with the community representatives and have executed all the agreed projects: 100%. Details of the 2023 CSR projects will be presented in the course of this ceremony. Suffice it to say that, we have positively impacted our host communities' members in the areas of education, healthcare delivery, infrastructural development as well as economic empowerment. These four broad areas are the key CSR Pillars upon which we always leverage to make positive social impact to our host communities".

"Our sincere appreciation goes to the government and people of Gombe State. We want to particularly thank His Excellency, the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, the Dan Majen Gombe, for his continuous support and collaboration as well as providing the enabling environment for our business to thrive in Gombe State. We also wish to appreciate our Traditional Rulers and Community".

In his run down presentation the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Ashaka Cement Company, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed x-rayed all the activities executed by the company as contained in the MD's speech and assured the community  of their continuous support in the areas Social Responsibilities in accordance to the five year work plan.

  The Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Alh. Ibrahim Mohammed Cheldo represented by the Head of Department, Education and Social Development,Alh.Buba Ardo Tongo,appreciated the gesture of the company towards impacting on the lives of the people in the local government.

 In his remarks, the Emir of Funakaye, Alh. Yakubu Mohammed Kwairanga the fourth, enjoined his subjects to avoid anything that may affect the relationship between the company and the host  communities but to channel every grievance through him.

  He appreciated the Governor for providing the conducive atmosphere for peaceful coexistence which made developments happen in the state.

Earlier,in a brief submission of the technical aspects of the corporate responsibilities, the officer in charge of the Technical Skills Development,Husseini Yerima explained that fifteen youths have been trained drawn from the benefiting six States of the North East as first set of the three years designed programme with a view to elevate their economic empowerment and curb out youth restiveness 

  The beneficiaries expressed thanks to the Company and appealed for the expansion of the intervention programmes for more to benefit in the programme.

  Highlight of the occasion include, presentation of starter packs, and awards as well as symbolic commissioning of projects.

From:.

Jack A Tasha

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity,

(Deputy Governor's office)

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