By Ahmad Umar
Gombe (Nigeria) – The Ashaka Cement company in Gombe state, northeast of the country, has concluded plans through its subsidiary, Afarge African, to partner with the National Agricultural Research Institute, Zaria on sustainable all year-round agriculture.
This is to create employment opportunities and enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the host communities as part of the company’s corporate social responsibilities.
The Managing Director of the company, Rabiu Umar disclosed this in Funakaye local government area of the state, while briefing Journalists after a tour of the company plant and the Coal mine in Maiganga in Akko local government area.
“We finding ways to turn agriculture into an all-year round activity instead of a seasonal occupation, as it currently in the area and also northeast will greatly contribute to the economy of the region. Such exercise will also help to tackle youth unemployment in the community.
“This move would also help this organisation to achieve greener and more efficient energy use in cement manufacturing business, we partnering with the National Agricultural Research Institute, Zaria to introduce industrial ecology in the region.
“Basically, we are working to improve the yield by 30 to 40 percent of the existing activity and also to introduce other farming practices that would further increase the yield of the same piece of land the farmers use. That way, we would be able to create a sustainable income stream for our communities and we hope that by doing that, the benefit would be felt all across the region,” Umar said.
He disclosed that the company also provides free healthcare to the communities around it by attending to at least 200 patients per day.
“We have a clinic here that caters for between 200 and 250 people from the community on a daily basis. It is also an HIV center. All the people who come to this clinic, we treat them at our own expense.”
Speaking about the company’s coal mine located in Maiganga, the MD said the company was planning to replicate the free healthcare delivery system in the community where mining activities began in year 2007.
Mr. Umar said the company is working on developing the host communities in a way whereby members of the community would be self-sustaining.
He added that in addition to boreholes built in Maiganga, the company regularly delivers potable water to the community, using tankers while efforts would be geared towards providing more.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2017/08/04/news/nigeria-farmers-in-gombe-allege-sharp-practices-on-fg-agriculture-loan/
