Dangote Cement unveils plan to empower Osun communities via alternative fuel project

As part of its commitment to global environmental preservation, Dangote Cement Plc has announced measures to empower some players in the Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) value chain.

The company disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr Francis Awowole-Browne, Corporate Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Ltd., on Wednesday in Lagos.

Engr Peter Anagbe, Dangote Cement Plc’s Head of Alternative Fuel Project, stated during a visit to Irewole Local Government Area in Osun that the firm was committed to determining the community’s requirements and empowering them.

The move, according to Anagbe, is part of the company’s strategy to ensure and maintain the availability of PKS as a waste, which is co-processed in the cement kiln to recover energy.

In communities across Nigeria, he added, the company had introduced periodic value chain assessments and community engagements with PKS garbage collectors and palm oil millers.

The visit, according to Anagbe, was prompted by a shift in worldwide focus to alternative fuel sourcing, which is projected to aid in the realization of ‘zero emission’ and ‘zero waste’ ideals.

He went on to say that alternative fuel might be made from a variety of agricultural, municipal, commercial, and industrial wastes, reducing waste to landfills.

In his words, “This whole drive is to explore avenues to empower them to bolster production which in effect would lead to sustainable generation of PKS to be co-processed in the cement kilns, leaving zero waste.”

Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba, the firm’s Head of Sustainability, also addressed the community that the company was committed to guaranteeing the sustainable collection of waste materials as PKS in order to benefit the environment and provide a source of income for the community.

He advised people to always explore for alternative value-adding opportunities for garbage, citing the PKS as an example, which was previously openly burnt as waste, causing pollution.

Elder Hammed Adekunle, one of the community leaders, noted that palm oil milling was the village’s mainstay and that using PKS for co-processing allowed them to develop and diversify.

He stated that the community would be grateful for any assistance from Dangote Cement in acquiring sophisticated machines to process palm oil and make PKS.