In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lafarge Africa has deployed a N500m intervention fund to provide medical infrastructure, food and essential medications to its host communities.

A statement by the company said during the first phase of the intervention launched on the 6th of April 2020, the company converted two of its facilities in Sagamu and Ashaka to be used as isolation centres, and also provided infrastructure support such as generators, ambulances and critical personal protection equipment (PPE) for health professionals and its host states. In the second phase of the intervention, Lafarge distributed food and medical supplies to its host communities targeting 60,000 beneficiaries across 10,000 families.

According to the statement, Mrs. Elenda Giwa-Amu, Non-Executive Director, Lafarge Africa Plc said: “Our operations are built on the key pillars of sustainability and health and safety. We are therefore mobilizing resources at our disposal at this time to offer succour to Nigerians just as we are collaborating with government agencies at all levels to build enduring structures to end the pandemic.”

While presenting the relief materials to residents in Lagos Island East Local Government Area of Lagos State, the Country Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Khaled El Dokani remarked: ‘At Lafarge Africa, we are deeply committed to our host communities and we are happy to work with them to improve lives through our presence and active citizenship. As a member of LafargeHolcim, the world’s leading building materials and cement maker that operates in over 70 countries, we operate as a key economic player through our activities in the local communities.”

He continued, “Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, we maintained health facilities in our host community in Ashaka. Today, we have a fully equipped isolation centre in Ashaka and Sagamu to support the state Government’s efforts to curb the pandemic. We are now making a further contribution to the health and resilience of all our host communities by donating essential food items and critical medicines to make it easier for people to survive during this pandemic as the Nigerian economy gradually rebounds.”

As a committed corporate citizen that has manufactured cement and supplied innovative building materials for over 60 years in Nigeria, the company is supporting the efforts of the Federal, State and Local Governments to fight COVID-19 in Nigeria.

It will be recalled that Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State had recently commended Ashaka Cement, a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa, for donating a fully equipped isolation facility and other items to complement the state government’s effort in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Speaking through his Deputy, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, at the handing over of fully equipped isolation centre and other items, he noted that the Ashaka Cement Plc has demonstrated an exemplary corporate social responsibility role that will impact on humanity for years to come.

This is just as Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. (Mrs) Noimot Salako Oyedele acknowledged the contributions of Lafarge to nation building. She commended the company during the formal hand-over of 2 units of modern ambulances, a fully equipped isolation centre in Sagamu, personal protective equipment (PPEs) etc to support the medical efforts in Ogun State.