Dangote cement inducts 200 engineers, others

Dangote Cement Plc has inducted nearly 200 newly trained engineers and other professionals into its workforce following the successful completion of its Graduate Trainee Programme, reaffirming its commitment to job creation, skills development, and local capacity building in Nigeria. The trainees, drawn from engineering, finance, information technology and other professional disciplines, were formally inducted over […]

Dangote Cement Plc has inducted nearly 200 newly trained engineers and other professionals into its workforce following the successful completion of its Graduate Trainee Programme, reaffirming its commitment to job creation, skills development, and local capacity building in Nigeria.

The trainees, drawn from engineering, finance, information technology and other professional disciplines, were formally inducted over the weekend after completing an intensive 18-month training programme. The programme combined classroom instruction and hands-on industry exposure, delivered through the Dangote Academy, the company’s four cement plants in Nigeria, and its head office.

Dangote Cement said the Graduate Trainee Programme is a structured talent development initiative designed to groom high-potential professionals for future leadership roles through cross-functional exposure, executive mentorship, classroom learning, and practical project execution.

During the programme, the trainees were deployed across the company’s plants and operational locations, where they gained practical industry experience under the guidance of seasoned professionals. Several of the graduates have since been absorbed into Dangote Cement’s operations in Nigeria and other African countries.

The company noted that the induction of the engineers underscores its long-standing commitment to providing meaningful employment opportunities and strengthening indigenous technical expertise across its operations.

In addition to the induction ceremony, Dangote Cement also recognised outstanding employees with Long Service Awards and Hall of Fame Employee Awards, celebrating dedication and consistent demonstration of the company’s core values of customer focus, entrepreneurship, excellence, and leadership. Award recipients, who received significant 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 whose contributions have driven 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 amid prevailing economic challenges, noting that Dangote Cement recorded a 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 nations,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr. Ahmed Ladan Gobir, described the Graduate Trainee Programme as a strategic initiative aimed at equipping young professionals 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 providing young engineers with a platform to build meaningful careers, contribute to national development, and emerge as the next generation of African industrial leaders,” he added.

Recognising four exceptional graduate trainees, the Programme Coordinator, Mr. Iyal H. Abdulkareem, said the awardees demonstrated outstanding hands-on industrial competence throughout the programme.

According to him, their contributions included improving reporting and customer administration systems, undertaking raw and cement mill main drive alignments, conducting preheater fan dynamic balancing, and developing templates for documenting and tracking key plant performance indicators.

The awardees, 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.