By Joy Umo
Lafarge Africa Plc has introduced a new skills acquisition programme designed to promote gender inclusion and improve economic prospects for women in its host communities.
The BuildHer Female Tilers and Block Laying Training Programme, implemented in partnership with Girls Power Initiative, GPI, in Calabar, is equipping selected beneficiaries with professional construction skills to enable them participate competitively in the sector.
The one month training, which began with an induction on September 25, 2025, is offering hands-on and classroom based learning to twenty young women drawn from ten host communities around Lafarge operations. The curriculum covers wall and floor tiling, block laying, entrepreneurship, workplace safety, employability skills and financial literacy.
Speaking at the launch, the Cross River State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon Edema Irom, applauded Lafarge Africa for expanding opportunities for women to secure sustainable income and break gender barriers in the construction industry. She described the initiative as a transformative platform capable of empowering women to become self reliant and urged participants to maximise the opportunity.
In his remarks the Commissioner for Youth Development and Skills Acquisition, Odum Ukam Esq implored the trainees to approach the programme with determination and confidence.
He emphasised that competence in any skill is not gender specific and that women can excel in fields traditionally perceived as male dominated.
A representative of the Plant Manager, Mr Milan Hilad, Mr Inyang Bassey, reaffirmed Lafarge Africa’s commitment to strengthening the economic well being of its host communities. He said the BuildHer programme reflects the company’s dedication to empowerment, capacity building and inclusive community development.
During the training, participants are being exposed to the use of Lafarge Supafix for tiling and Superset for block laying. Facilitators from GPI have stressed discipline, punctuality, safety and teamwork as essential values for success in the construction space.
The initiative forms part of Lafarge Africa’s Corporate Social Responsibility agenda and advances key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those relating to gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and decent work.