Lafarge Africa: Pulling strings of sustainable development in Nigeria’s housing sector

The mission statement, ‘Building Better Cities throughout the World by Providing Innovative Solutions’ credited to Lafarge Africa Plc has begun to materialise in Nigeria with the mission to reduce housing deficit estimated to be 17 million through sustainable development plans and investment in low-cost and mass housing units across the country.

In recent time, Lafarge Africa has come up with mass housing development plans in Nigeria, starting with N1.3 billion low-cost housing scheme for 3,500 low-income earners across the country; partnership with Federal Government for construction of mass affordable housing in Abuja and the construction of all-expenses housing units for 1,000 villagers in Ogun state.

In 2013, Lafarge Africa Plc entered into a tripartite agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD) and LAPO Microfinance Bank to finance the construction of low-cost housing tagged, ‘Ile Irorun’ for 3,500 low-income earners to the tune of N1.3 billion, targeting at first, 400 low-income earners in Sagamu and Abeokuta, Ogun state under the pilot scheme.

Lafarge Affordable Housing Scheme for Nigerians, according to Hubert Dognin, AFD Country Director, was initiated by Lafarge Africa Plc, but financed under the tripartite arrangement; and was borne out of the agency’s desire to bridge the housing deficit gap since the demand for housing in the country surpasses Nigerian real estate market delivery capacity.

He said, “indeed, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is experiencing one of the highest urban growth in the world. Thus, the demand for housing – one of the basic human needs – overpasses by far the Nigerian real estate markets’ delivery capacity, which led to a current housing shortage, estimated at 16 millions, especially for low and middle class accommodations.”

Guillaume Roux, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa, noted then, that the initiative was against the backdrop of “Lafarge’s commitment to urban change across the globe”, saying the low-cost housing was a follow-up to Lafarge global launch of its then new brand positioning tagged, “Building Better Cities”.

“Back in Nigeria, Lafarge’s commitment to building better cities is unwavering. Hence, we opened up initiatives to help provide access to affordable housing by deserving Nigerians that will be made available by all like-minded institutions and organisations that have agreed to partner with it on this laudable programme.

“The launch of ‘Ile Irorun’ today is a clear manifestation of this global ambition in Nigeria. It is our desire to offer to our communities in Nigeria, access to affordable and decent housing to help realise one of the major aspirations of everyone in this country, which is giving shelter to their families.

“In developing this programme, we carried out extensive research on the needs of low-income earners as well as the challenges they face in their pursuit of being able to own their houses. We discovered that the two major issues here, as in several other developing countries, are access to funds to execute the projects, and access to reliable, technical advice to do the construction in a professional way”, he added.

Also, Godwin Ehigiamusoe, Managing Director, LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited, said the low-housing scheme, which would be built for low-income earners at a very low interest rate and without collateral security, adding: “it’s in furtherance of our (LAPO) commitment to social and economic empowerment of the people at the bottom end of the society”.

But, today, Lafarge Africa has completed and delivered 2,000 housing units to owners across the country, barely two years it commenced the low-cost housing scheme for Nigerians tagged, ‘Ile Irorun’, and followed by acquisition of expanse of land for immediate construction of mass affordable housing units at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

At a recent first distinguished lecture series organised by the Nigerian Institute of Architects in Abuja, Guillaume Roux, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer noted that Lafarge Africa has evolved sustainable development plans to further urbanise Nigeria and build better cities through provision of innovative solutions and expertise required to build more durable structures.

He said, “As you are all probably aware, Nigeria estimates housing deficit of 17 million and at Lafarge, we believe we contribute to reducing this number. We are currently working hand-in-hand with the government, professionals and businesses to deliver more housing.

“For example, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has allocated land in Abuja to Lafarge to develop mass affordable housing.

“We have solutions for affordable housing through a partnership with LAPO Microfinance Bank and we have impacted close to 2,000 people. And we are working on a Construction Development Laboratory which we would use to develop more innovative products to meet local needs.

“We provide solutions to meet the high rate of urbanisation – building more decent housing, more compact construction; building more durable structures which are more beautiful and making cities in Nigeria better connected, through roads, rails, ports and bridges”, he concluded.

Most recently, WAPCO Operations of Lafarge Africa Plc, located in both Ewekoro and Sagamu in Ogun state has gone some miles farther in its corporate social responsibility by relocating two villages, namely, Oke-Oko, Sekoni and Oke-Oko, Egbado, in Ewekoro Local Government and has begun construction of modern housing units for about 1,000 villagers in the axis.

The construction of housing units (first phase) and other agreed facilities for entire people of Oke-Oko, Sekoni and Oke, Oko, Egbado, Lafarge WAPCO’s host communities in Ewekoro on 100 acres of land, was conceived by the management to fulfil its mission of building better cities and helping the State government to bridge the gap of housing deficit in the state.

Speaking at the inauguration of housing facilities held at new Oke-Oko, Sekoni in Ewekoro recently, Adepeju Adebajo, Managing Director, Lafarge Africa (WAPCO Operations) disclosed that the relocation of the people and their deities was initiated by the management to better secure its host communities and better the lots of hundreds of residents in the areas.

The managing director, who was represented by Thierry Terriere, Ewekoro plant manager, said: “Oke-Oko, Sekoni is one of the two communities we have found genuine reasons to support in realizing their potentials by completely relocating them to much safer locations newly acquired by us as part of our community development projects for this year.”

She added that the building would comprise ten rooms each when completed for about 1000 people relocating in the community, saying: “It is our hope that when completed soon, the newly-relocated Oke-Oko, Sekoni would have been our fair contribution to the much-sought-after societal advancement, having been provided with relevant infrastructural facilities.

“Needful to state, however, that the huge resources being committed to this special project is in addition to the yearly developmental initiatives we carry out in Ewekoro Local Government which include bursary awards for undergraduates, equipping the community youths with worthy vocational tools, building of roads, bridges, culverts and drainages, and blocks of classrooms, to mention a few”, she concluded.

Responding, Ogun state government’s representative, Oye Amosun, Special Assistant to the State Governor ‎on Environment, said Lafarge Africa’s initiative which prompted relocation of the entire people and deities of two communities in Ewekoro and subsequent construction of housing units showed that the cement plant is “humane and conscious of its corporate social responsibility.”

The Special Assistant to the State Governor explained that the gesture showed that “Lafarge Africa is not only in business in Nigeria to make profits, but to better the lots of Nigerians, especially people in its host communities across the country”, adding that the initiative would reduce the State housing deficit when completed.

Also speaking, on behalf of the two Baales (Community leaders), Mukaila Ogunsola, Baale of Oke-Oko, Sekoni community, revealed that the housing initiative by Lafarge WAPCO was one of longstanding interventions, spanning infrastructural development, health services, bursary and scholarship awards to students, affordable housing among others.

Ogunsola, who commended Lafarge WAPCO management for the housing projects and other infrastructural interventions in Ewekoro communities, however urged the cement company to ensure the completion of the housing units within the reasonable period as promised by the management, saying the people could not wait to see the modern housing facilities.

RAZAQ AYINLA