By Ngozi Eyeh
Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), and its subsidiaries are preparing very big for the sustainability week, which starts effectively from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th October 2023.
The theme for the year 2023 is Sustainable Production and Consumption – The Dangote Way.
The week has been designed to be a week-long event to create an opportunity for DIL and its subsidiaries’ employees to volunteer their skills and competencies for community impact initiatives, using time that is paid for by the organisation.
While the mother company, DIL, will have an online Sustainability Conference for all staff, where various representatives of the business units will present innovative opportunities for Sustainable Production and Consumption in their line of business to a panel of executives who will evaluate the opportunities for adoption.
Other subsidiaries also have a series of events that have been lined up in line with the Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals designed to serve as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
The week will start on Monday with Volunteer mobilization across the various business locations in Nigeria and Pan Africa.
Dangote Cement will host a Sustainable Living Fair and Exhibition on Tuesday, in Ikoyi, Lagos. Notable stakeholders have been invited to attend the Fair, which will be declared open by the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of Dangote Cement, Mr. Arvind Pathak.
NASCON also on Tuesday will donate whiteboards to schools in its host community, while Dangote Fertilizer Limited (DFL), will roof 6 classrooms in the Magbonsegun community as it supplies roofing sheets, asbestos, and timber.
It will however be done in collaboration with the school’s PTA, and community leaders. Health materials will also be donated by NASCON to Ijoko Health Care Center and Ajegunle Health Care Center.
In the same vein, Dangote Petroleum Refinery, from October 23rd to November 2nd, will organize an elderly care program for its host community.
The program includes Health talks and medical screening for malaria, infectious diseases, dementia, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, vitamin deficiency, BMI, and eye problems.
Elders, who are 65 years and above are the target of this programme and close to 1,000 of such elders have been booked to attend the event.
GDNL also for the week has programmed an educational initiative, which will involve three schools in their host community, with a focus on educating the students on the essence of sustainability and climate change challenges, and donation of computers, markerboards and sanitory pads to schools in their community.
Dangote Packaging Limited (DPL) will be training the women and in its host community on how to make insecticides locally, thereby helping to combat malaria, which is the number one ailment in the area. The trained women will also be empowered with startup kit.
It would be recalled that DIL, recently shone like a million stars as its subsidiaries clinched several awards at the just concluded Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Responsibility Awards (SERAs).
Dangote Cement Plc won four major awards, including: The Best Company in Sustainability Reporting, Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement, and Overall, Winner – Africa (First Runner Up).
Another Dangote subsidiary, Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR), which was participating in the SERAS for the first time, won the award of Best Company in Poverty Eradication.
Mr. Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief, Corporate Communications Dangote Industries Limited reacting to the company’s outstanding performance at this year’s SERAS said: “DIL’s approach is focused on mainstreaming sustainable practices and building this into the very fabric of the organization. ‘The Dangote Way’ underlines the importance that we attach to our people, communities, and other key stakeholders.”
