Lolu Alade-Akinyemi is the new chief executive officer of Lafarge Africa Plc, a building solutions company in Nigeria. He speaks with BusinessDay’s Chinwe Michael on how the company is navigating the country’s macroeconomic challenges and fostering a culture of innovation.
“Tests show that Watershield absorbs water much less than traditional cement, making it ideal for foundations, plastering, and concrete work.”
Can you share some insights into your leadership journey and how it has shaped your vision for Lafarge Africa?
I have always wanted to be in a leadership role, from when I was in high school. My desire and passion for success moulded me. As I matured, the quest for personal success transitioned to purposefulness, basically success for a higher purpose.
Today, as the CEO of Lafarge, my passion for excellence and innovation is evident. It has been a journey of continuous learning and intentionality. It doesn’t come by accident but is embedded in two things: clarity on your areas of strengths and turning strengths into assets.
I’ve been very fortunate with people who have been instrumental in this journey, including my parents, who have taught me selflessness, mentors, bosses, and colleagues who have inspired me to go the extra mile. It’s been more than a year now since I became the CEO of Lafarge. I must say that the journey has been exciting, sometimes challenging; however, what keeps me going is purposefulness and the desire to make an impact.
What are some of the major challenges you have faced as the CEO, and how did you overcome them?
The macroeconomic challenges that we are currently facing in the country are tough.
As a leader, you have to get your team focused, energised, and driven to performance in the midst of the challenges. You must continue to excite your consumers and customers, spend quality time to gain insights to better understand their unspoken needs and problems, and proffer value-added solutions.
Lafarge has seen innovations spur over time, ranging from its Watershield and the Unicem EcoPlan, etc. How does this work and how has it evolved?
Lafarge Africa is a building solutions company renowned for creating a greener planet through innovation and operational excellence. Our innovation in Watershield and the Unicem EcoPlanet cement shows our commitment to growth and sustainability.
Watershield was formulated to revolutionise the construction industry, particularly in areas that are so sensitive to moisture and water exposure. Its water resistance eliminates the need for traditional methods like laying nylon sheets before applying concrete. Tests show that Watershield absorbs water much less than traditional cement, making it ideal for foundations, plastering, and concrete work.
For Unicem Ecoplanet, we launched it in July 2024. It is the first low-carbon cement in Nigeria that offers a 30 percent reduction in carbon construction versus your standard cement. As you know, climate change is real, without any doubt. Evidence can be seen from the changes in temperature, the rains, and the weather in general. So it’s something we have to take very seriously. For us at Lafarge, we need to continuously showcase proof points that underscore our commitment to our sustainability commitment.
Can you share some of your sustainability commitments and the impacts they have on communities?
Our sustainability strategy is built on four pillars: climate and energy, biodiversity, circular economy, and people. A key focus is on decarbonising our operations, particularly in cement production.
Through Geocycle, which is our waste management arm, we are engaging state governments to use municipal solid waste as part of our energy sources. A common practice across the world, especially in Europe.
We are very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. In some of our plants, we have replaced the usage of fossil fuels with alternative fuels by 45%, and we are investing more across our plants to progress. We are also replacing our diesel trucks with CNG and also moving cement by rail and waterways. We are reducing waste across our plants and driving opportunities on circular economy
On people, we thrive with our host communities. We have many initiatives including healthcare, shelter, education, and so on and so forth. In education, for instance, we are ensuring that they can contribute their quota to the Nigerian economy through education.
On biodiversity, where we mine limestone, we are restoring the sites to their natural habitat, ensuring the return of animals, water, and other natural resources. Restoration is very important to us. Water withdrawal is something we measure carefully; we aim for no negative water withdrawal and have various initiatives in place to achieve that.
What are the projects that you are looking forward to in the future?
Lafarge is looking into many projects. We are about to commission the alternative fuel feeding system in Mfamosing by the fourth quarter of this year. This project will further underscore our efforts to replace fossil fuels and drive decarbonisation.
Additionally, we launched Unicem EcoPlanet and EcoPact—EcoPact. These products are aimed at reducing our carbon footprint, and we are proud of them.
Read also: Lafarge Africa posts N29bn profit in H1, lowest in three years
Can you tell us what trends you think would shape the cement industry in Nigeria and globally?
The outlook for the cement industry in Nigeria is positive. Cement consumption per capita in Nigeria is among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and even in Africa. We have a huge infrastructural gap and a significant housing deficit.
Additionally, we are creating awareness on the use of cement for concrete roads across the country. We have a big role to play in Nigeria’s economic development. With infrastructure, you create jobs, which contribute to overall economic development.
I think the drive to do business responsibly will be a major trend. As I mentioned, climate change is a big topic, and the cement and construction industries have a significant role to play as leaders. It’s not just about selling, but selling responsibly.
The topic of decarbonisation will remain prominent because investors today are more demanding and sophisticated. When it comes to ESG, it’s relevant to how we conduct our business. We are going to be held more accountable, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve.
What role does corporate social responsibility play in Lafarge’s business model?
It is part of our strategies and one of our pillars when we talk about people. We believe strongly in giving back. It is very important, and that is why, for us, being here involves having a sense of higher purpose and living a life of purposefulness, and this is embedded in everything we do.
We aim to consistently understand the needs of our stakeholders and ensure that we make a difference in their lives.
We are engaged in various community projects, whether related to health—such as building health centres, adopting schools, giving scholarships, providing shelter for the community, skills acquisition programs, elderly care, JAMB, and WAEC lessons, providing electricity to communities, and constructing roads. We do a lot.
Can you give us specifics of what you’re changing or working on?
We are transforming our organisational culture. For you to be successful in innovation, you have to ensure you have an organisational setup that enables innovation.
The first thing is to remove all the bureaucratic structures, as employees need to feel physiologically safe, and that enables idea capture at the very early stage. We developed an innovation hub, revamped our reward and recognition system beyond monetary rewards, and made it clear that everybody matters, including employees, customers, and stakeholders. We are very proud of the outcome of these changes.
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