By Ayomide Otitoju
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, underscoring the company’s commitment to job creation, skills development and local capacity building in Nigeria.
The inductees, drawn from engineering, finance, information technology and other disciplines, completed an intensive 18-month programme that combined classroom instruction and hands-on training. The programme was delivered 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 professionals for future leadership roles through cross-functional exposure, executive mentorship and project-based learning. During the training, participants were deployed across Dangote Cement’s operational locations, gaining practical industry experience under the guidance of experienced professionals.
Dangote Cement said several of the trainees have since been integrated into its operations in Nigeria and other African countries, noting that the induction reflects its sustained investment in building indigenous technical expertise across its footprint.
In addition to the induction ceremony, the company recognised outstanding employees with Long Service Awards and Hall of Fame Employee Awards for their dedication and consistent demonstration of its core values. The award recipients, each with a minimum of five years’ service, received substantial monetary rewards.
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.
“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 despite economic challenges, noting that the company recorded strong performance in 2025 despite a difficult operating environment.
“Your resilience and tenacity enabled us to overcome numerous challenges and achieve our objectives. 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 added.
Pathak said 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. He added that the company has eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and transformed the country into a net exporter to neighbouring nations.
Also speaking, the Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr. Ahmed Ladan Gobir, described the Graduate Trainee Programme as a strategic initiative to equip 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.
The Programme Coordinator, Mr. Iyal H. Abdulkareem, also recognised four exceptional graduate trainees for outstanding performance during the programme. He said their contributions included improvements in reporting and customer administration systems, equipment alignment and balancing, and the development of tools for 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 and supported the deployment of cement mill optimisation systems at the Obajana and Okpella plants.
