Dangote Cement has launched a circular economy programme, called “DangCircular” with the aim of promoting recycling and reuse of scarce resources in society to reduce landfilling and create wealth as a contribution to environmental sustainability.
The programme was launched during this year’s Dangote Sustainability Week, targeting students of tertiary institutions in the country.
As part of the activities of the week, the company partnered with the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and UNESCO-UNEVOC (UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training) in a competition tagged ‘Yaba Green Challenge’.
Dangote employee Volunteers and Executives attended the finale of the competition to witness the presentation of 10 sustainability innovations the students created from waste after a screening of 30 entries
Among the panel of judges were the company’s Technical Director, Mr. Duraisamy Anandam the General Manager Regional Sales, Mr. Johnson Olaniyi, and academic staff of Yaba College of Technology, officials of UNESCO UNEVOC, as well.
The judges engaged finalists on their projects which include Mixed media painting from sawdust; Fungal growth medium from industrial wheat waste; Medicinal mushrooms from sawdust and water hyacinth; and mycelia blocks from spent mushroom substrate,
Others are Wearable art from the aluminum beverage can pull tab wastes, and sculpture from metal scraps.
The students also made a paving interlocking block project with plastics, Hollow sandcrete blocks from plastics, and a mixed media painting made with waste plastics and paper, as well as animal feed produced from water hyacinth.
The event began with a tour of the Yabatech art museum, a courtesy visit to the College Rector, and a donation of waste segregation bins made to the management of the school. At the finale of the Yaba Green Challenge competition which had over 300 staff and students, the Rector of the College Engr Obafemi Omokungbe endorsed the initiative, describing the partnership between Yabatech and Dangote as a very strategic and exciting one.
The Rector explained that “talks are ongoing to obtain patent rights for the innovations showcased at the event to share with the private sector for adoption”.
The leader of the Dangote delegation and General Manager Sustainability, Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba, expressed satisfaction with the exhibition, adding that “the goal of DangCircular was to catalyze Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy and support wealth creation through waste.”
The Sustainability expert encouraged the institution to carry out cutting-edge research for the economic growth of society.
Similarly, the company implemented the “Obalende Smart Money Campaign”, a financial literacy awareness campaign organized to help traders at the Obada Obalende market understand better financial management managing and resources sustainably.
Speaking on the financial literacy campaign, the company’s Lead, Health, and Safety, Mr. James Adenuga, said the theme of the yearly programme ‘People, Planet and Profit – The Dangote Way’ was driven by employee volunteers.
He explained to the traders the meaning of sustainable development and why it was a topic of concern for traders.
Citing evidence-based experiences to justify her position, Okoroba explained that “while seeking for their daily bread, it was important that the traders ensure that the needs of the present and future generations are not threatened by poor treatment of land, water, and natural resources available to us.”
