WACL gets NIA recognition for local content in construction

West African Ceramics Limited (WACL), a foremost manufacturer of tiles in Nigerian, has bagged an Excellence Award in the category of companies with most local content products in the Nigerian building and construction industry.

The award from the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos State chapter, was presented to the company at the just concluded three-day conference tagged Lagos Architects Forum 2014, organised by the institute in Lagos recently.

Receiving the award from Tayo Babalakin, president, Association of Consulting Architects Nigeria, Sachin Katare, WACL’s size analyst, commended the architects for the professionalism they exhibited in organising the forum with the theme ‘Lagos 5.0- Architecture and Real Estate Development’ and also the impeccable standards which guide members of the institute in conducting themselves professionally.

Ladipo Lewis, the chapter chairman, explained that the NIA Excellence Award for Best Local Content was a special recognition of merit given to an indigenous company whose operation from sourcing raw materials to the processes of delivering the final product entailed the utilisation of local contents in terms of value creation in the Nigerian economy, systematic capacity development, and the thoughtful use of material and human resources locally sourced, noting that WACL was one of such companies that had consistently stood out in local contents.

“The NIA as a professional body recognizes companies in the built environment which make immense contribution to the Nigerian economy through systematic development of capacity, value creation, and engagement of local materials and Nigerian human resources in their production process. Every year, this chapter identifies a company that fulfils the most use of local contents and recognise that company on a special occasion such as this forum with this award. This year,WACL has again merited the award from the chapter.”

In addition, immediate past chairman of the chapter, Abimbola Ajayi, said the essence of the award goes deep to de-emphasise importation of raw materials and products. She hailed WACL for its consistency in meeting high standards that match the Asian and European counterparts with local contents.

Ajayi said that “the company has not only met architects’ demand for exotic tiles with standards that match the cravings for foreign tiles, but has also created jobs for Nigerians in its effort to meet our specification through its careful engagement of Nigerian raw materials and human resources.”

Katare also thanked the members of the NIA for recognising his company’s efforts in satisfying architects and Nigerians at large, explaining that “working with architects, builders, and real estate developers is at the heart of the company’s strategic thrust and the engagement of local contents from sourcing raw materials to delivering final products remains our commitment to contributing our quota to the growth of the economy.”

Katare emphasised that its strategic partnership with architects is fundamental to its product design development and through consumer insights generated from working with practitioners, the company’s flagship brands of VIT Porcelain vitrified tiles produced in variants of Diamond, Marbonite, and Granite and in different sizes of 30 x 30; 40 x 60; and 60 x 60 and Royal Ceramic tiles are produced to satisfy the trends of office and home interior and exterior designs.

It would be recalled that West African Ceramic has merited the NIA Excellence Award for Best Local Content twice in 2013 by the River State Chapter and the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects.

Chuka Uroko