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As UN General Debate Ends, Dangote Volunteers Commence Sustainability Week Initiatives

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Aliko Dangote

 

 

 

 

As the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly winds up in New York, USA today (September 27), Dangote employees across the Group’s operations in Africa are implementing various initiatives aimed at empowering their host communities and ensuring a sustainable present and future for the conglomerate.

 

The initiatives form part of the activities to mark the Dangote 2021 Sustainability Week, a purely volunteering process among employees of the Group, with the theme “Building a Sustainable Future – The Dangote Way”. The Week begins on September 27 and ends on September 30.

 

The theme for this year’s Dangote Sustainability Week is in tandem with the theme of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76), which is “Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations.” The UNGA is the main policy-making organ of the global Organisation comprising 193 Members States, among them Nigeria.

 

This year’s theme and initiatives, according to the Sustainability Unit at the Dangote Group Head Office at Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos State, are focused around six core UN SDGs – SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health & Wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

 

For the 2021 Sustainability Week, Dangote employee volunteers and numerous Sustainability Champions are expected to undertake empowerment and development initiatives in their host communities across the Group, with activities monitored by the Sustainability Function. The events will avail sustainability champions across Dangote operations the opportunity to execute social projects that align with the Group’s community engagement objectives and with optimum benefits for local beneficiaries.

Dangote: Execution of Sugar Master Plan could fetch Nigeria over $700million yearly

The Week is aimed to help project the social side of the Dangote brand, helping to build goodwill and cordiality with host communities, thereby enhancing the Group’s social license to operate.

 

There would be empowerment and sustainable activities at Dangote Cement Cameroon, Dangote Cement Congo, Dangote Cement Ethiopia, Dangote Cement Gboko plant in Nigeria, Dangote Cement Ghana, Greenview Limited, Dangote Cement Ibese in Nigeria, NASCON Allied Industries (Dangote Salt), and Dangote Cement Obajana in Nigeria.

 

Other participating Business Units include Aliko Dangote Foundation, Dangote Packaging, Dangote Rice Limited, Dangote Cement Senegal, Dangote Cement Sierra Leone, Dangote Cement South Africa, Dangote Sugar Refinery, Dangote Cement Tanzania, Dangote Transport, and Dangote Cement Zambia.

 

At the DIL Head Office at Ikoyi, Lagos, the Sustainability Function, in collaboration with the Group HSSE, Human Resources, and Corporate Communications will organize an Outreach Programme for physically challenged persons at the Pacelli School for the Blind, Surulere, Lagos; and the Lagos State-owned Old People’s Home, Sabo-Yaba. This will involve the donation of basic food items and other consumables, accompanied by a pep talk and awareness session on good hygiene and COVID-19 prevention; in line with Goals 2 & 3 of the UN SDGs.

 

Another proposed initiative at the Head Office is the ‘Waste as Public Health Risk’ Campaign, in line with Goals 3, 6 and 13 of the UN SDGs. This will involve an awareness campaign on the impacts of wastes (plastic wastes and poorly discarded COVID-19 PPEs such as facemasks, hand gloves e.t.c. on the environment and public health, and how to manage such wastes sustainably. Proposed beneficiaries include those at the Mammy Market, Falomo, Taxi drivers at Falomo bridge, and members of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA)/ Army Officers’ Wives Association, Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

 

As part of this year’s Sustainability Week, the Volunteers are collaborating with a waste off-taker to station a waste drop-off Bin at the Mammy market. Leveraging this initiative, over 400 women in the market will be able to drop off recyclable wastes that they have collected from the market or in their neighborhoods, and be paid based on the quantity or weight of the wastes that they drop off. It is therefore environmental stewardship as well as wealth creation initiative for hundreds of women that use the market, and this is to be sustained even after the 2021 Dangote Sustainability Week.

 

To ensure compliance with the various health procedures and safety protocols adopted by the Group to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sustainability Unit, in collaboration with the Group Human Resources and Group Health, Safety, Social, and Environment Departments, also rolled out safety measures for all participating employee volunteers across all the Business Units for the Dangote Sustainability Week ending on September 30.

 

These include zero compromises in terms of compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures. (facemasks, hand sanitisers, physical distance, ventilation and up to 50% bus occupancy rate). There is also reduction in the number of volunteers embarking on field visits (group outreach programmes, etc); e.g. 50% reduction in the number of persons that would have participated.

 

The BUs are also to ensure that vulnerable employees or those who may be at higher risk of serious illness (e.g. older employees i.e. > 65 years old and those with medical conditions such as diabetes, heart, and lung disease) are advised not to participate physically in these events.

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African Media Network (REMAPSEN) Appoints Nigerian Journalist Khadija as Deputy National Coordinator

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Khadija Aliyu

 

REMAPSEN, an African media network, has appointed Khadija Aliyu as Deputy National Coordinator for its Nigeria office.
This announcement was made in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bamboo Yousuf.

Khadija Aliyu is an ace broadcaster and a senior correspondent with Radio Nigeria. She graduated from the Department of Mass Communications at Bayero University Kano in 2008 and later obtained a master’s degree in Communication Studies from the same institution.”

REMAPSEN, AN OVERVIEW
REMAPSEN is an African media network for the promotion of good health and environment.

It was established on June 13, 2020 by some journalists in the Francophone countries with passion for public health concerns as they affect children and women as well as environment.

The aim is to build a network of African journalists who are committed to using their platforms to help people overcome challenges from health emergencies, epidemics and other health concerns, and environment issues.

The Nigerian arm; REMAPSEN NIGERIA, was inaugurated at an international conference of the forum in Lome, Togo on 23rd November, 2023, along with Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania and other Anglophone countries.

REMAPSEN International headquarters currently sits at Abidjan, capital of Cote d’ivoire with Mr Bamba Youssouf as the President.

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Dangote Cement Plc Launches Malaria Programme in Edo

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The Sustainability and Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement Plc will be implementing a malaria intervention programme at communities in Okpella, Edo State.

The health intervention programme, according to a statement from the company, will run for two days around the host communities of the Dangote Cement Plc, Okpella.

The statement said the “intervention is part of efforts to advance the Safer and Healthier Communities (SHC) initiative to promotes access to health and wellbeing of our host communities and their neighbours through structured health interventions and public health awareness campaigns.”

It added that: “Malaria is another key area of the DCP Group’s public health focus besides HIV/AIDS.”

It said that Dangote Cement Plc had initiated its Safer and Healthier Communities (SHC) programme in 2022 with the implementation of the pilot phase of the HIV/AIDS intervention programme in three transit communities in Gboko, Benue state.

Speaking, Head of Social Perfomance of the Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola, said the two-day event (9th and 10th May) would feature awareness campaigns testing and referrals, distribution of treated nets, mosquito creams, ultrasonic anti-mosquito insect repellant, rechargeable electric mosquito killer swatter and other mosquito repellant paraphernalia. The Public Health officials will also offer counselling and referral services.

The intervention is the company’s response to reports that Edo state records an estimated 1.2 million malaria cases with a 317/1000 per location or geographical area. As a socially responsible company, Dangote Cement implements this initiative as contribution to safeguarding the lives of populations of high risk of malaria, which includes children, pregnant women and the elderly.
The Head of Sustainability, Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba providing context on the partnership of the programme expressed appreciation to the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, and Nigrowth Consults Services – implementing partner.

According to her, the project which supports Sustainable Development Goal 3_ Good Health and Wellbeing, is another effort of the Dangote Cement Okpella to demonstrate its solidarity with stakeholders in Edo state and the health sector at large.

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Nile leads as MAAUN ranked 2nd best private university in Northern Nigeria

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The AD Scientific Index ranking 2024 has ranked the Nile University, Abuja, as the best private university in Northern Nigeria.

According to the ranking made available on the website of the AD Scientific, titled: ‘Nigeria Private Universities Ranking 2024’, the Maryam Abacha American University, MAAUN, emerged second best university in the North.

This is as the American University of Nigeria, AUN, was ranked third in the same category.

In the overall ranking, Redeemers University was ranked 1st University in Nigeria, followed by Covenant University Ota and Afe Babalola University, which emerged 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Nile University, founded in 2009, was ranked 10th, MAAUN, established in 2021 in Kano, was ranked 11th, while AUN got ranked as the 13th university.

Al Qalam University in Katsina was ranked 33rd, Al Hikmah University Ilorin 39th and
Skyline University 42nd

MAAUN was established in 2021 by renowned philanthropist Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, who is also the founder of Niger’s best private university, Maryam Abacha American University of Niger.

Prof. Dr Bikash Sharma, co-founder and president of International Academic and Management Association, described the ranking as a stepping stone for MAAUN.

“It’s high time that we did a complete overhaul of the education system globally, employing the best lecturers, and equipping our universities with the best facilities.

“MAAUN achieving this feat in less than 3 tears is not surprising. The founder has proved his commitment to standard and internationalisation.

“It is high time that we move from traditional teaching to experiential learning,” he said.

On his part, Isa Gwadabe, an educationist, hailed MAAUN for projecting its image through commitment to academic excellence.

“This is not an achievement to the institution alone but to the entire Kano State and Nigeria in particular. Among all the universities that were given licences together, MAAUN is leading in just less than 3 years.

AD Scientific Index is one of the best rankings for scientists in the world.

“I hope other institutions will emulate MAAUN towards achieving this great feat.”

The “AD Scientific Index” in its website said the University Rankings will not only show the areas in which a university is best or focused but also reflect the results of the institutions’ scientific recruitment policies.

This feature reveals the ability of institutions to attract successful scientists and the ability of institutions to promote advances and retain scientists.

“AD Scientific Index” is the only university/institution ranking system that analyzes the distribution of scientists in an institution according to the top % 10, %20, %40, %60, % 80 percentiles and total scientists.

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