Climate Change: Dangote steps up efforts to mitigate Green House Gas emission
In line with global best practice, the pan-African Conglomerate, Dangote Group has deployed cutting-edge technology and other measures to mitigate emission of Green House Gas (GHG), and its impacts, in all its subsidiaries.
The Group, as part of its contribution to the campaign for reduction of GHG, has embarked on enlightenment to sensitize workers and host communities on the impact of climate change and environmental sustainability.
The Company’s Group Chief Branding and Communication Officer, Mr. Anthony Chiejina in a statement said: “to mitigate gaseous emissions from our production process, our new plants are designed to be resource and energy efficient.”
He added that the Dangote Group has invested much in modern equipment such as analyzers, opacimeters, and other continuous emissions monitoring systems used to measure greenhouse gas emissions in real time.
Mr. Chiejina pointed out that the company’s climate goals extend beyond just reduction of emissions but also to protecting and regenerating the environment, through land reclamation and tree planting.
Only recently, the company organized a workshop for journalists in the North-Central and South-West geo-political zones in the country to sensitize them on the imperatives of reporting climate change and the environment.
Plant Director, DCP Obajana J.V Gungune told newsmen that the company has put in place state-of-the-art facilities to mitigate climate change concerns.
“We need the environment more than it needs us. Hence the need to sustain the environment,” he said.
Head, Suitability, Dangote Cement Plc, Dr. Igazeuma Okoroba told newsmen at Obajana that that the company has fully engrained environmental sustainability and Climate Change concerns in all its operations.
The statement quoted the Head of Sustainability, Dangote Cement Plc Obajana Plant, Dr. Eseosa Ighile, as saying that several innovative strategies have been introduced to cut emission of Green House Gas (GHG).
Dr. Ighile said in line with the company’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 12, alternative fuels (AF) were adopted to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
She added that: “The AF project aims to achieve a thermal substitution rate of 25% in all plants by 2025. We are working towards installing AF feeding systems in all our operation lines by 2024.”
According to her: “The resources utilized for fuels currently at the DCP Obajana include tyre chips, waste oils, and agricultural waste such as palm kernel shells and rice husks. We are also undergoing technical studies on the use of refuse-derived fuels (RDF) as a fuel source. Between January and July 2023, we’ve consumed over 34,800 metric tonnes of alternative fuel materials for our operations.”
She said so far, the company’s climate action activities include: monitoring of water, waste, and GHG emissions, creation of a decarbonisation working group, and following the guidelines of both local and international organizations.
Head, Technical Training, Dangote Academy Adedeji Adewale said the Dangote Cement Plc uses electrostatic prostetor to trap dust and recycle into the system, adding that the Dangote Academy plants thousands of trees every year.
He said only recently the Dangote Academy planted economic trees which include Mangoes, Soursup, Dates and orange trees among others.
Mr. Adewale explained that tree planting has the potency to protect the climate, regenerate the environment and improve the health condition of inhabitants.
AfDB announces investor calls for inaugural USD Global Hybrid Capital transaction
The African Development Bank(AfDB) has announced upcoming investor calls and meetings in New York, London and Paris, ahead of an inaugural USD Global Benchmark Sustainable Hybrid Capital transaction.
In July, S&P Global Ratings assigned an AA- rating to the proposed instrument – the highest rating for hybrid capital. The transaction will be issued in a Sustainable Bond format, under the Bank’s newly established Sustainable Bond Framework and will finance a combined portfolio of eligible green and social projects.
BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs International have been mandated as Joint Structuring Agents & Joint Global Coordinators, and Barclays, BNP Paribas, BofA Securities and Goldman Sachs International as Joint Bookrunners. The banking institutions will arrange a series of global fixed income investor calls and meetings, commencing Friday 15th September.
Hybrid capital will have a multiplier effect on the Bank’s financing, and allow for the issuance of additional green, social and sustainability bonds to finance projects targeting some of the continent’s most critical development challenges, including food security, access to water and sanitation, health services, and climate change.
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“This is a great new way to enhance a multilateral development bank’s capital base and optimise its balance sheet. The African Development Bank is starting a new asset class, hybrid capital, issued by AAA-rated multilateral development banks,” said the Bank’s Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Hassatou N’Sele.
Acting Treasurer, Omar Sefiani noted: “This hybrid capital transaction will open new opportunities for the Bank and other AAA-rated multilateral development banks to boost lending by tapping private investors. While the Bank has been very active in generating additional lending capacity through risk reduction transactions on its assets, this transaction boosts its capital base and thus generates additional lending through its liabilities.”
