(L-R) Sherif Fawzy, Digital Middle East and Africa (MEA) Lead, Holcim Innovation Hub; Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lafarge Africa Plc; Oreva Atanya, Director, LBS Sustainability Centre; and Viola Graham-Douglas, Director, CPASD, Lafarge Africa Plc
Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre served as a knowledge partner for the 2024 Lafarge Africa Sustainability Week themed, ‘Green Growth: Empowering Communities, Preserving the Planet,’ which commenced with a web forum on the topic ‘AI-Powered Sustainability: Transforming the Construction Industry’. The webinar was co-designed and co-delivered by Lafarge Africa Plc and LBS Sustainability Centre on Monday, October 28, 2024. The Lafarge Africa Sustainability Week was a unique time of reflection and renewed commitment to sustainability, aligning with its four pillars: Climate and Energy, Circular Economy, Nature, and People.
The web forum focused on the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence-powered sustainability in the construction industry to enhance delivery efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and optimise resource use. The event featured special remarks, a keynote presentation, a high-level panel discussion, a quiz competition, and an interactive Q&A session. To watch the full recording, please click here
Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lafarge Africa in his opening remarks reiterated Lafarge Africa’s dedication to integrating sustainability across all operations, emphasising the alignment of the company’s initiatives with its four sustainability pillars. He highlighted the significant role of AI in providing a competitive edge, detailing how its integration into everyday operations can reshape the construction industry by enhancing sustainability, adaptability, and resilience in a rapidly evolving landscape. He said, “Today marks a very exciting and meaningful week for us in Lafarge. Sustainability forms a very important part of what we do in Lafarge everyday, it is the future of the organisation, it is a priority and not about ticking the boxes. In everything we do, sustainability is at the forefront and heart of our operations.”
He added, “This week brings us all together as an organisation to recognise the strides we are making and drive collective awareness and responsibility for the outcome we envision. For us in Lafarge Plc, our vision is a building solutions company renowned for creating a greener planet through innovation and operational excellence and you can see that in all our strategies, whether decarbonisation, circular economy or AI. AI creates a competitive advantage for businesses, has the potential to radically transform the way we work, and if we want to remain relevant, it’s absolutely critical that we are intentional about AI, invest in it and raise its level of awareness. The real key to our sustainability journey lies in how we as individuals and as a team integrate this technology and innovation into our daily activities.”
Orevaoghene Atanya, Director, LBS Sustainability Centre in her remarks provided an overview of the webforum theme pinpointing how sustainable construction practices are essential for community development and protecting the environment. She mentioned that “the construction industry is a cornerstone for global economic development, so the role Lafarge plays as a major leader in that ecosystem cannot be overemphasised”. She commended Lafarge Africa for walking the talk in their sustainability journey and thanked the Firm’s leadership for collaborating on ecosystem-strengthening projects like the LBSSC-hosted Climate Governance Initiative (CGI), Nigeria Chapter.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Sherif Fawzy, Digital Middle East and Africa (MEA) Lead, Holcim Innovation Hub, who delved into the global cement industry’s adoption of AI to advance sustainability and reduce carbon emissions. Fawzy highlighted key AI applications that are already being implemented across the industry, including energy efficiency optimisation, raw material selection, mix optimisation, carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), and predictive maintenance. He gave an exposition on case studies, such as the partnership between Cemex and Microsoft using Azure AI solutions, which leverages advanced analytics to optimise cement kiln operations—one of the most energy-intensive components of cement production. Through such collaborations, cement companies have achieved substantial gains in operational efficiency by refining kiln operations, improving process optimisation, and implementing predictive maintenance to minimise unplanned downtime and energy usage
(L-R) Ubio Obu, CEO, Remostart; David Alozie, Founder, Workhen AI; Yewande Adeyi, Senior Manager, ESG and Sustainability Advisory Services, KPMG West Africa; Emmanuel Ilaboya, Head of Product and Innovation at Lafarge Africa Plc; Simi Dabup, Public Affairs Manager, Lafarge Africa Plc; and Akiba Ekpenyong, Health and Safety Manager-Plant Operations- MFA, Lafarge Africa Plc
The webforum featured a high-level panel session titled ‘Leveraging AI for Sustainable Solutions in Construction.’ The panel discussion was a line up of distinguished experts, comprising Emmanuel Ilaboya, Head of Product and Innovation at Lafarge Africa; Ubio Obu, CEO, Remostart; David Alozie, Founder, Workhen AI; and Yewande Adeyi, Senior Manager, ESG and Sustainability Advisory Services, KPMG West Africa.
The discussions explored how AI can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of construction projects, the ethical considerations in deploying AI for sustainability, and the readiness of the construction industry for widespread AI adoption. Panellists noted the importance of responsibly integrating AI to ensure it contributes positively to sustainability, touching on best practices for data management, transparency, and alignment with global sustainability standards. The panel discussion ended by pointing out that it is not just technology that is the solution, it is how we as employees and leaders can harness all these AI tools in alignment with our sustainability goals, this will determine our success.
Viola Graham-Douglas, Director, Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development (CPASD) Lafarge Africa, delivered the closing remarks. She thanked participants and staff for being part of the webinar and the sustainability week. “For many of us, AI is still a buzz world and we still don’t know the practicability of it, but today’s conversation has given us a glimpse into the potential of AI to revolutionise our construction industry, how it can reduce our environmental footprint, how we can enhance operations and efficiency and contribute to a more sustainable future. This year’s theme, ‘Green Growth; Empowering Communities and Preserving the Planet’ is really to remind us that a balance is required between economic growth, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.”
She added, “Throughout this sustainability week, we must all reflect on the role each of us will play in this process. Sustainability is not just the duty of the sustainability department alone, but must be embedded in every single task we perform, the decisions we take and actions we make. This year our focus is on employees, empowering them to make better choices at work and at home. We are confident this awareness will drive the cultural shift that is needed to embed sustainability at all levels of the organisation.”
Overall, let us come together to harness the power of AI and create a sustainable future in construction for a more sustainable world. Let us also weave sustainability into everything we do, ensuring that worker safety is always our top priority. By working together, we can drive positive change and adopt greener practices that not only benefit our industry but also protect our planet for future generations. Let’s commit to learning and collaborating with one another, making sure our AI initiatives are responsible and ethical. It’s time to take action for our business, our communities, and our environment!
Lafarge Africa Plc is a member of the Holcim Group-the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. Lafarge serves Nigeria with a wide range of building and construction solutions designed to meet housing and construction needs from small to very mega infrastructure projects. For more information, visit: https://www.lafarge.com.ng/
Lagos Business School is Africa’s leading management education institution and the LBS Sustainability Centre is a globally recognised knowledge hub that brings together the theory and practice on business and sustainability for the advancement of business performance and development outcomes. For more information about the initiatives and upcoming events by the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre, please contact sustainabilitycentre@lbs.edu.ng. Together we can work towards a sustainable future for businesses on the continent. See our programmes at https://lbssustainabilitycentre.edu.ng/training
