Obinna Ezugwu
Dangote Cement Plc has inducted close to 200 newly trained engineers and professionals into its workforce following the successful completion of its Graduate Trainee Programme, reinforcing the company’s focus on job creation, skills development and local capacity building.
The new employees, drawn from engineering, finance, information technology and other disciplines, were formally inducted at the weekend after completing an intensive 18-month training programme that combined classroom instruction with hands-on industry experience. The training was conducted at the Dangote Academy, the company’s head office and across its four cement plants in Nigeria.
The Graduate Trainee Programme is a structured development initiative designed to prepare high-potential young professionals for future leadership roles through cross-functional exposure, executive mentorship and project-based learning.
During the programme, the trainees were deployed to various Dangote Cement plants and operational locations, where they gained practical industry experience under the guidance of seasoned professionals. The company said several of the trainees have since been integrated into its cement operations in Nigeria and other African countries.
Dangote Cement said the induction of the new engineers underscores its long-standing commitment to creating meaningful employment opportunities and strengthening indigenous technical capacity across its operations.
The induction ceremony also featured the presentation of Long Service Awards and Hall of Fame Employee Awards to outstanding staff in recognition of their dedication and consistent demonstration of the company’s core values of customer focus, entrepreneurship, excellence and leadership.
The award recipients, who received monetary rewards, have each served the company for a minimum of five years.
Speaking at the ceremony in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Cement Plc, Mr Arvind Pathak, said the event was organised to celebrate employees who have contributed significantly to the company’s growth and success.
“We are honouring some of our staff for their long service to the company, and we are also celebrating our graduate trainees who are officially rounding off their induction programme,” Pathak said.
He commended employees for their resilience in the face of prevailing economic challenges, noting that Dangote Cement recorded strong performance in 2025 despite a difficult operating environment.
“Despite the economic turbulence, your resilience and tenacity enabled us to overcome numerous challenges and achieve our objectives. More importantly, I thank you for your commitment and high performance, which have helped us retain our position as the dominant player in the cement sector-not only in Nigeria but across Africa,” he said.
Pathak added that Dangote Cement remains Africa’s leading cement producer and is targeting a production capacity of 90 million metric tonnes per annum across the continent by 2030.
“Through our collective determination, we have eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and transformed the country into a net exporter of cement to several neighbouring countries,” he said.
Also speaking, the Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr Ahmed Ladan Gobir, described the Graduate Trainee Programme as a strategic initiative aimed at equipping young graduates with world-class skills and deep industry exposure.
“Nigeria’s greatest asset is its young people, and at Dangote Cement we are deliberate about empowering them with the skills, exposure and opportunities required to succeed,” Gobir said. “Through initiatives such as our Graduate Trainee Programme, we are helping young engineers build meaningful careers, contribute to national development and emerge as the next generation of African industrial leaders.”
Recognising four outstanding graduate trainees, the Programme Coordinator, Mr Iyal H. Abdulkareem, said the awardees distinguished themselves through exceptional hands-on industrial competence during the programme.
He said their contributions included improving reporting and customer administration systems, carrying out raw and cement mill main drive alignments, conducting preheater fan dynamic balancing, and developing templates for documenting and tracking key plant performance indicators.
The four engineers – Engr Mary Nnana, Engr Ahmad Sunusi Abdullahi, Engr Ahmed Rufai Ahmed and Engr Ebenezer Afonja – also played key roles in the installation and commissioning of MIS servers at the Obajana Plant, as well as supporting the deployment of cement mill optimisation systems at the Obajana and Okpella plants.
Source: HallmarkNews | Read the Full Story…
