Dangote Group has bagged three awards from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Gatekeepers News reports that the awards were in recognition of Dangote Group’s outstanding contributions to the development of the engineering profession in Nigeria.
Dangote Industries Limited bagged the ‘Outstanding Engineering Organisation of the year’ award, while the President/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote and Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Devakumar Edwin were both honoured with ‘Outstanding Engineering Personality’ awards.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, John Holt Plc, Kenol Nigeria Limited, and Pilot Science Company Limited among others were also honoured at the weekend during the NSE Ikeja Branch’s dinner and awards ceremony organised as part of activities to round-off its engineering week.
The event was themed ‘Integrated engineering development as a catalyst for homegrown industrial revolution’.
Gatekeepers News reports that Edwin, during the event, further pledged Dangote Industries’ commitment to the development of engineering in Nigeria.
He said the company has in the past years invested in the training and development of young engineers who have acquired sufficient knowledge and taken up the responsibility of managing Dangote Cement plants across Africa.
Edwin said through adequate training and exposure to latest science and technology, Nigerian engineers can now work as expatriates in Dangote Cement plants located in other countries.
Edwin said, “We are developing a pool of engineers for the company and it is a thing of great pride for us. We have mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, chemical engineers and several other engineering fields in our company. We have grown and developed people. We have not only developed them to work here in Nigeria; we have also started exporting them to Dangote Cement plants across Africa as expatriates.
“Therefore, we pay attention to skill development of engineers and it is working for us.
“When I was selecting the equipment for the construction of plants in Nigeria, a company in Germany wondered why I have to select such sophisticated equipment to establish a plant in Africa. They thought I was crazy. I had to take that decision to choose sophisticated and ultra-modern technology because I believe that Nigerian engineers, if given the necessary training and exposure, can compete with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
“Dangote has most of the technologically advanced plants in the world. No plant in Europe and U.S can claim to have more technology than what we have in all our plants and these plants are being managed by Nigerians.”
He applauded the NSE Ikeja Branch for focusing on training and development of young engineers, which he said, would help prepare them to take up higher challenge in their profession.
The NSE Chairman, Ikeja Branch, Olutosin Ogunmola noted the association decided to honour Dangote Industries for contributing significantly to the engineering profession.
