Lafarge unveils National Essay competition for primary, secondary schools
Lafarge Africa Plc has unveiled a National Essay Competition for pupils in public primary and secondary schools in Nigeria in line with its commitment to improve literacy and develop human capital in the capital.
According to a statement by the company on Sunday, the online essay competition, themed ‘Building the Nigeria of my dreams’, will help bridge the literacy gap, as well as engender loyalty to the nation as the young adults write about their aspirations for the nation they desire.
The Country Chief Executive Officer, Khaled El-Dokani, said, “The quality of the country’s human capital is as important as its physical infrastructure, hence the company’s investment in enhancing the Nigerian educational sector.
“We are actively collaborating with the government and the private sector to improve the country’s literacy ratio towards making an impact in reducing the World Bank estimate, which states that over 80 per cent of Nigerian primary school-leavers cannot read.”
The Communications, Public Affairs, and Sustainable Development Director, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said the company had so far impacted more than 700,000 primary school pupils in 1,665 schools across 544 local government areas.
“Our volunteers, who are employees of Lafarge Africa Plc have spent over 6,212 hours with over 250 public primary students. This crucial involvement shows our genuine concerns about Nigeria’s literacy gap and commitment towards bridging that gap,” she added.
