Ashaka Cement to inaugurate N11bn 16MW power plant

ASHAKA CE MENT COMPA NY, a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa Plc has unveiled plans to inaugurate a 16-megawatt power plant in order to improve and solve the country’s energy problem.

Rabiu Abdullah Umar, the Managing Director, Ashaka Cement, who disclosed this while speaking with journalists during the 2018 award ceremony for its distributors last week, said the company spent N11billion on the project, which began in 2017.

He said the power plant, will not only release additional megawatts to the national grid, but also create employment opportunities, boost operational efficiency and tackle the high energy cost of the largest industry in Nigeria’s northeast.

“Last year, we started our power plant, which is an N11billion project, and we will inaugurate the project soon, signaling the end to the use of generators for our operations.

“So, we are helping to remove ourselves from the demand for energy, and providing our own solution, which means a minimum of 16 megawatts of electricity, will now become available to the public grid for the people in the region to enjoy from. The power plant is our biggest plan aimed at reducing our costs,” he added.

Speaking on the award presentation, Umar said as the foremost foreign direct investment company, and in line with the Lafarge Holcim’s 2030 plan, Ashaka Cement is not only rewarding customers, but also investing in the communities.

“We are grateful for the loyalty of our customers through the years which has allowed us to improve performance year on year. Lafarge Africa is keen on investing in Ashaka. The power plant, infrastructure, and cement capacity are all testament to this commitment. We are celebrating a good year and look forward to even better collaboration in 2019.”

Also speaking, the Country Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa, Michel Puchercos, expressed appreciation to all the distributors for their remarkable performance in keeping the Lafarge range of products among the top brands in the market.

He said: “For your commitment to results through the years and in 2018 in particular, Lafarge Africa says a big thank you, and we look forward to a more fruitful year in 2019.

“This year, we are set to change the way we do business with our customers by empowering our customers to become partners. To achieve this, Lafarge Africa Plc has embarked on a business transformation project, which is aimed at improving operating efficiencies and interactions with our customers for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Our new strategy has started to deliver results and we are on a new path of profitable growth,” he added.

Responding on behalf of the customers, Muhammed Itami, expressed gratitude to Lafarge Africa for the recognition and encouragement accorded distributors and customers.