The Nigerian Institute of Architects, Abuja and Kogi State chapters jointly organised a study tour of West African Ceramic Ltd factory located in Ajaokuta recently.
The architects, 50 from Abuja and 20 from Kogi undertook the tour to ascertain the quality of the product as claimed by the West African Ceramic team.
Among the architects from Abuja were the President of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Arc. Ibrahim A. Haruna and the President of the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Arc. Umaru Aliyu.
The team was received at the factory by the General Manager, West African Ceramic Ltd, Mr. Bhaskar Rao, who told the visitors that the West African Ceramic Ltd factory located in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, is the third largest factory in Africa and that it produces Royal ceramics floor tiles, Royal Wall Tiles, VIT Porcelain Vitrified Tiles and Royal Roofing Tiles to international standard.
Mr. Rao said the objective of West African Ceramic Ltd in Nigeria is to support the country’s infrastructural and economic development, and to ensure it meets the country’s requirement for tiles.
He said the company is also involved in community projects in education, tree planting and provision of employment opportunities. The company currently has over 1,000 Nigerians on direct employment and over 28,000 involved in raw material supply, marketing of products as dealers and sub-dealers adding that it is worthy of note that the factory’s production process and products are environmentally friendly.
The Chairman of Nigerian Institute of Architects, Abuja Chapter, Arc. Stanley M. Kolo said they were at the factory to study its production process, the products and the production capacity of the factory in meeting the needs of the Nigerian construction industry.
The President of the Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Arc. Ibrahim A. Haruna, said the study is to build the confidence of Nigerian architects in Nigerian products manufactured to international standards. The team was conducted around the factory during which quality, strength tests were carried out for the team through R & D on various tiles.
Speaking, the President of Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Arc. Umaru Aliyu, stressed the need for quality control by the company while the Chairman, Kogi State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Arc. J. A. Idachaba, pledged to continue visiting the factory.
The President, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Arc. Ibrahim A. Haruna, said the team of Architects were quite impressed with what they saw in the factory.
