Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has condoled with the family of late Alhaji Sidi Ali who died Thursday evening at the age of 86.

KANO FOCUS reports that Governor Yusuf described late Ali as a trusted Public Affairs Officer who worked hard to ensure the flow of true stories during the Civil war.

In a statement by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the Governor also noted the positive contributions of the deceased as a Senator in the Second Republic in shaping the Senate and the overall development of democracy in the country.

On behalf of the Government and people of Kano State, Governor Yusuf extend condolences to his family and prayed for Aljannah be his final resting place.

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

A newly funded project that aims to bridge the access to Girl-Child education has been unveiled by the Bridge Connect Africa Initiative (BCAI) in Kano.

KANO FOCUS report that the project, Bridging Access to Girls Education (BAGE) is supported by the Malala Fund Education Champion Network according to the Executive Director, BCAI, Sani Muhammad while briefing Journalists.

He said, “BAGE project will seek to improve girls’ access to quality secondary education by addressing issues around access, transition, and completion of secondary education for adolescent girls through advocacy for increased investment in girls’ education within the next three years in Kano State.

“Taking into consideration existing efforts by the Kano state government and other key actors to enhance girls education in the state, BCAI will collaboratively work with the state vernment, critical education stakeholders, and MDAs to co-create sustainable solutions for more efficient governance and transparency in the state’s education sector and towards the achievement of the goal of this project.

“For the past four years, we have continued to focus on creating an enabling environment where every child, regardless of their background or circumstances, his the opportunity to thrive through quality education and reach their full potential. This is evident in the various itiatives and strategies we have employed to realize our vision. It is worth mentioning that part of our advocacy efforts between 2018 and 2023 led to the adoption of a free and compulsory basic education policy in Kano State in 2021, and subsequently, the passage of the Kano State Child Protection Law 2023.”

He added that recognizing that achieving equal and equitable access to education, particularly for the girl-child, required addressing multifaceted challenges, the organisation launched the Nazari Mai Zurfi Podcast in 2021.

“This scalable solution facilitated our policy advocacy for enacting the Kano State Child Protection Law. Its incorporation into the state’s legal framework marked a significant step towards our goal of empowering every girl and boy with quality education.

“Today, as the Founder of BCAI, I am happy to announce that I have been selected to join the Malala Education Champion Network (ECN) as an Education Champion, and my selection is largely attributed to BCAI’s dedication to improving education outcomes, particularly our Advocacies for increased investment in basic and secondary education as well as good governance in education.”

Sani, therefore called on the good people of Kano and all concerned stakeholders in the education sector to join hands towards advancing girls’ educational rights and addressing their specific needs as according to him, “Upon successfully executing this initiative, we hope to see a tremendous increase in investment in girls’ education as this will translate into more access, transition, retention, and completion rates in girls.”

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Strategies adopted by Dangote Cement to increase sales and ensure an adequate supply of products to customers are yielding the desired results as domestic sales volume increased, by 26.1 percent to 4.6Mt in the first quarter of 2024.

According to the cement manufacturers’ unaudited results for the three months that ended, on April 30, 2024, the Nigerian operations volume rose significantly and positively affected the rise in the Group’s overall volume to 7.0 Mt.

The company recorded a Group revenue of N817.4 billion, even as profit after tax inched, up by 2.9 percent to N112.7 billion. Earnings per share closed the quarter at N6.68 representing an increase of 3.7 percent. As part of its sustainability programme, Dangote Cement commissioned ten of the 17 Alternative Fuel Projects across the Group.

Chief Executive Officer, of Dangote Cement, Arvind Pathak, in his comments on the results, said, “Driven by an uptick in economic activities, our Nigerian operations witnessed a strong rebound, with volumes up 26.1 percent to 4.6Mt in the quarter. Similarly, our pan-Africa operations continued an upward trajectory, with volumes up 3.1 percent to 2.7Mt, buoyed by increased sales in Zambia and Congo. Despite elevated cost pressures, increased borrowing costs, and a further currency weakening, our first-quarter results reflect our commitment to navigating challenges effectively.”

He added, “Group revenue more than doubled to ₦817.4 billion, while Group EBITDA rose 66.6 percent to ₦309.5 billion. Profit After Tax was up 2.9 percent at ₦112.7 billion. These results underscore our ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic business environment while delivering value to our stakeholders.

During the quarter, we intensified our emphasis on exports, dispatching 7 ships from Nigeria to Ghana and Cameroon. As a result, our Nigerian exports surged by 87.2 percent, reflecting our commitment to expanding our presence in regional markets and capitalising on our export-to-import strategy.

We continue to prioritise innovation, cleaner energy transition, and cost leadership towards achieving our vision of transforming Africa and building a sustainable future”.

Dangote Cement is Africa’s leading cement producer with 52.0Mta capacity across Africa. A fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer, Dangote Cement has a production capacity of 35.25Mta in Nigeria.  Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 16.25Mta of capacity across five lines; Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta; Gboko plant in Benue state has 4Mta; and Okpella plant in Edo state has 3Mta.

Through recent investments, Dangote Cement has eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and has transformed the nation into an exporter of cement serving neighbouring countries.

In addition, the company has operations in Cameroon (1.5Mta clinker grinding), Congo (1.5Mta), Ghana (2.0Mta clinker grinding and import), Ethiopia (2.5Mta), Senegal (1.5Mta), Sierra Leone (0.5Mta import), South Africa (2.8Mta), Tanzania (3.0Mta), Zambia (1.5Mta).