Lafarge Africa Launches 2025 Female “BuildHer” Tilers & Block-Laying Training to Empower Women in Construction

Lafarge Africa Plc has taken another major step in its commitment to women’s empowerment and inclusion in the construction industry with the launch of its 2025 Female Tilers and Block Laying Training Programme, under the theme “BuildHer by Lafarge”. The initiative targets 100 women from low-income communities in Lagos, Ogun, and Cross River states, aiming to provide them with both technical skills and entrepreneurial tools to pursue sustainable livelihoods in tiling and block production.

This year’s programme will run for eight weeks and is being implemented in partnership with relevant state government agencies. In Lagos State, partners include the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). In Ogun, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is involved, while in Cross River, it is delivered through the state’s Women Affairs Ministry. The training combines hands-on practice with Lafarge Africa’s Supafix and SupaSet products, alongside financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and mentoring sessions.

Recognizing the barriers that women in low-income communities often face, the programme includes support services to ensure full participation. These supports include transportation, feeding, and even provision of creche facilities for nursing mothers with children under 18 months. Lafarge Africa is ensuring that women aged between 20 and 45, who may often have caretaking responsibilities or face socio-economic constraints, are not left out.

At the launch, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, Group Managing Director/CEO of Lafarge Africa, emphasized the broader significance of the initiative: breaking down gender barriers, reducing poverty, and boosting economic opportunity. He highlighted that initiatives like BuildHer are not just about skills acquisition but about transforming lives, supporting families and communities, and promoting more equitable participation in trades often dominated by men.

Viola Graham-Douglas, Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, underlined that the initiative balances technical expertise with empowerment. She stated that since 2022, Lafarge has already trained more than 60 women under similar programmes and that this year’s edition is bigger in scale and richer in support. She also announced that graduates would receive certificates endorsed by technical institutions and trade associations, and be integrated into the Block Makers and Tilers Association of Nigeria, ensuring professional recognition and access to potential job opportunities.

To further motivate excellence, the programme includes additional incentives: every graduate will receive start-up toolkits to help begin their trade independently, and the top ten participants will be specially recognized for outstanding performance. Lafarge also plans to launch a BuildHer Alumni Network, which will facilitate continued mentorship, collaboration, and visibility for the women beyond the training. A Train-the-Trainers component is also being introduced so that graduates themselves may later serve as trainers, helping to scale up impact across more communities.

Observers have welcomed the initiative as a significant move to address gender imbalance in construction. The construction sector in Nigeria has seen limited female participation in manual trades such as block laying and tiling, largely due to cultural norms, lack of access to training, and financial constraints. By providing both the skill set and the support services, Lafarge is helping to remove multiple barriers that often prevent women from entering or thriving in these trades.

Government officials in the participating states also praised the programme. In Lagos State, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, and the Executive Secretary of LSETF, Feyisayo Alayande, committed to supporting BuildHer by facilitating access to internships, apprenticeship placements, and local contracting opportunities for graduates. Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs likewise reaffirmed its partnership, noting that women empowered through skills are more likely to invest in their families and communities. Cross River State pledged similar support for its participants.

The announcement comes amid growing urgency to expand vocational and technical training as a strategy for economic inclusion and poverty reduction. As Nigeria faces high youth unemployment and rising cost of living, initiatives that combine skill acquisition, entrepreneurship, and inclusion are seen as critical. BuildHer by Lafarge aligns with broader sustainable development goals, especially those focusing on gender equality, decent work, and economic growth.

 

As the 2025 training programme gets underway, expectations are high that the empowered women will not only acquire marketable skills but also become agents of change in their communities. With Lafarge’s backing, government support, and the planned alumni network and mentorship structures, many believe BuildHer will go beyond short-term training to become a lasting ecosystem for women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria’s construction sector.