By Rukayat Moisemhe and Taiye Olayemi
HBM Nigeria Plc has assured customers, shareholders and other stakeholders that its transition from Lafarge Africa Plc to HBM Nigeria Plc will not affect its product brands, quality, shareholder value or commitment to sustainable development.
The Chief Executive Officer of HBM Nigeria Plc, Mr Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, gave the assurance on Monday during a news conference in Lagos.
Alade-Akinyemi said the company remained committed to improving product availability and meeting Nigeria’s construction needs through sustainable solutions.
Also, the company’s Head of Marketing, Mrs Oluyomi Moses, said all its established cement brands and other building solutions would retain their names and quality standards in spite of the corporate identity change.
“The impact of the name change on our products and solutions is zero. Nothing has changed.
“Our product brands remain the same and our quality remains the trusted quality Nigerians have relied on for decades,” she said.
Moses said the company continued to offer a wide range of cement solutions tailored to different construction needs, including general-purpose, structural, waterproof, sulphate-resistant and infrastructure cement.
She added that HBM Nigeria pioneered the introduction of low-carbon cement brands in the country, certified to emit lower carbon dioxide, and also developed EcoCrete, a low-carbon ready-mix concrete that cuts carbon emissions by about 30 per cent.
According to her, the company’s “Beyond Buildings” campaign highlights its contributions to Nigeria’s economic growth through landmark infrastructure projects and community development initiatives.
Earlier, the Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development Director, Mrs Viola Graham-Douglas, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to empowering vulnerable groups and fostering sustainable communities.
She said the company’s 2025 female tilers and block-laying training programme, implemented in partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), equipped 50 women from low-income communities with technical, entrepreneurial and financial skills.
According to her, the beneficiaries also received toolkits and participated in a capstone construction project at the Ikeja Youth Centre.
Graham-Douglas said the company’s Disability to Ability (D2A) initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, trained 100 persons living with disabilities on vocational and entrepreneurial skills, including phone and laptop repairs, shoemaking, makeup artistry, wig making and hair braiding.
She added that HBM Nigeria partnered with Leadway Health to mark World Malaria Day by providing free malaria testing and treatment, insecticide-treated nets, antenatal screening and health education to about 200 vulnerable residents at Ita-Elewa Primary Health Centre in Ikorodu.
She said the company also implemented a gender-based violence prevention programme that reached 230 schoolgirls through counselling, reproductive health education, self-defence training and the distribution of self-care kits.
Graham-Douglas added that HBM Nigeria organised a free breast health screening programme at Akerele Primary Health Care Centre to promote early detection and breast cancer awareness.
She said the company’s “CEO for a Day” initiative continued to expose young people to corporate leadership through mentorship, essay and public speaking competitions, executive shadowing and leadership sessions.
The Head of HBM Eco, Mrs Temitope Dosumu, said the company had strengthened its partnership with the Lagos State Government on environmental sanitation by converting suitable waste into alternative fuel.
Dosumu said the initiative supports the circular economy by reducing waste sent to landfills while promoting cleaner industrial production.
She reaffirmed the company’s commitment to advancing environmental sustainability alongside business growth. (NAN)
Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa