Lafarge Affirms Commitment To Road Safety

Lafarge Africa Plc restated commitment to road safety as it launched Driving Institute.

The Lafarge Driving Institute in the South-West, is the second of-its-kind created by the building solutions company following the commissioning of the first driving institute in the South East in 2017.

The company has continued to provide drivers who have enrolled in the institute with industry-leading training programs tailored to the needs of Nigerian heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) such as trucks, trailers and articulated vehicles drivers.

Speaking at the launch of the event, Country CEO of Lafarge Africa, Mr. Khaled El Dokani, stressed Lafarge’s commitment to improving health and safety within its operations and ultimately in its wider community.

“At Lafarge, we recognize that we have a job to do in improving road safety and we are committed to investing in safety innovation, both within our organisation and along our supply chain. We see safety as key to creating sustainable and profitable operations; boosting productivity and increasing operational efficiencies and business performance in a tangible way,” he said.

According to El Dokani, the continuing number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads demands concrete mitigation action. We must institute appropriate measures to improve road safety.

Data received from thwe Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) showed that between August 2020 and June 2021, 1,070 crashes involving HGVs such as trucks, trailers and articulated vehicles occurred.

He further said: “one major way to reduce road-related incidents and achieve our goal is to raise the standard of driver training in our operation and ensure drivers think about safety first and always while on the road. Embedding a strong culture of road safety at the heart of HVG drivers is paramount. This requires the right training and coaching to understand the risks involved in performing their task, shape their behaviours and to develop safety processes.”

In the same vein, the chief finance officer/Supply Chain director of Lafarge, Mr. Lolu Akinyemi, disclosed that the new driving institute is proof of the organisation’s commitment to propelling socio-economic growth and investment in the country, saying “with this new facility, Lafarge is taking critical steps in implementing its training programme and investing in developing its drivers while embedding the ideal culture within its driver community.”

The managing director, Automated Integrated Services Limited (IASL), Mrs Adeniun Taiwo commended the company for its continuous effort into partnering with them, as the programme will enhance professionalism amongst drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) in the society.