Dangote Cement Absorbs Nearly 200 Graduate Trainees, Inducts New Engineers into Workforce

Dangote Cement Absorbs Nearly 200 Graduate Trainees, Inducts New Engineers into Workforce

Dangote Cement Plc has inducted nearly 200 newly trained engineers and 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 graduates, drawn from engineering, finance, information technology, and other disciplines, were formally inducted over the weekend after completing an intensive 18-month training programme. The programme combined classroom instruction and hands-on industry exposure, delivered at the Dangote Academy, the company’s four plant locations across Nigeria, and its head office.

Designed as a structured development pathway, the Graduate Trainee Programme prepares high-potential professionals for future leadership roles through cross-functional exposure, executive mentorship, and practical project execution. During the programme, trainees were deployed across Dangote Cement’s plants and operational locations, gaining real-world experience under the guidance of seasoned professionals.

Dangote Cement disclosed that several of the graduates have since been integrated into its cement operations in Nigeria and other African countries, further strengthening indigenous technical expertise across the organisation.

The company said the induction reflects its sustained commitment to providing meaningful employment opportunities and building a strong pipeline of skilled professionals to support its long-term growth.

In addition to the induction, Dangote Cement honoured outstanding employees with Long Service Awards and Hall of Fame Employee Awards, recognising their dedication and consistent demonstration of the company’s core values of customer focus, entrepreneurship, excellence, and leadership. The award recipients, who received substantial monetary rewards, have each served the company for a minimum of five years.

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 made significant contributions to the company’s growth and success.

“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 amid prevailing economic challenges, noting that Dangote Cement recorded strong performance in 2025 despite a difficult operating environment.

“Despite the economic turbulence, your resilience and tenacity enabled us to overcome numerous challenges and achieve our objectives. More importantly, 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 stated.

Pathak added that 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 noted that the company has eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and transformed the country into a net exporter to several neighbouring nations.

Also speaking, the Acting Group Human Resources Officer, Mr. Ahmed Ladan Gobir, described the Graduate Trainee Programme as a strategic initiative aimed at equipping 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. “Through initiatives such as our Graduate Trainee Programme, we are enabling young engineers to build meaningful careers, contribute to national development, and emerge as the next generation of African industrial leaders.”

Recognising four exceptional graduate trainees, the Programme Coordinator, Mr. Iyal H. Abdulkareem, said the awardees demonstrated outstanding hands-on industrial competence throughout the programme.

He explained that their contributions included improving reporting and customer administration systems, executing raw and cement mill main drive alignments, carrying out preheater fan dynamic balancing, and developing templates for tracking key plant performance indicators.

The award recipients—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, as well as supporting the deployment of cement mill optimisation systems at the Obajana and Okpella plants.