February 26, 2018

The Ashaka Cement Company in Gombe State has begun the construction of an N11 billion power plant to generate 16 megawatts of electricity.

The Managing Director of the company, Malam Rabiu Abdullahi, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos on Monday.

He said that the project being built in the Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State was flagged off last year and that it was expected to be completed next year.

“The project will free up about 16 megawatts into the national grid,” he stated.

He said that Ashakacem a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, had three main areas of focus in its corporate social responsibility initiative, namely, education, youth empowerment and health.

According to him, the company has also built primary and secondary schools in its host communities to give youths access to education.

The managing director said that Ashakacem would also collaborate with the newly-established Gombe State Polytechnic in Bajoga, to deepen artisanship programmes.

Abdullahi said that many youths had been trained in various trades as part of the company’s empowerment scheme, adding that some of the youths had been employed by the company.

He said that empowerment programmes were not limited to the company’s host communities but that the scheme was for the entire northeast.

Abdullahi said that a health clinic had been established by the company to cater for the health needs of 250 people from the host communities.

He said that the clinic had also been offering services on issues relating to HIV/AIDS at the expense of the company.