NCA Executive Director, Dr. Arch. Daniel Manduku with Savannah Cement Managing Director, Mr. Ronald Ndegwa. [Photo/Courtesy]
The National Construction Authority (NCA) has cemented a partnership with Savannah Cement, to advance technical training programmes for contractors.
The agreement signed Tuesday will see Savannah Cement and NCA jointly conduct nationwide training and certification programmes for contractors and construction supervisors.
Speaking at the partnership signing ceremony, NCA Executive Director, Dr. Arch. Daniel Manduku said the programme will also provide an outreach programme to enhance the technical skills for the almost half a million construction workers in all the 47 counties.
The joint programme, he said, is part of the construction regulatory agency’s commitment to foster public – private partnerships as part of its sector training and capacity building mandate.
Flanked by Savannah Cement Managing Director, Mr. Ronald Ndegwa, the NCA Boss, who is also the Registrar of Contractors, confirmed that the Authority’s recently launched Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training programmes for contractors had taken off to a good start.
“At NCA, we are excited to have Savannah Cement on board this journey to ensure all contractors in the country are duly registered and enjoying continuous training programmes to guarantee quality service provision,” Dr. Manduku said, adding that, “We shall be tapping on Savannah Cement’s corporate capacity to complement our institutional resources as we remain committed to promote and stimulate the development of the local construction industry.”
The NCA contractor training schedule for financial year 2016/2017 comes to an end in June, while the next commences in July. The trainings are a pre-requisite when it comes to renewal of the annual practicing license, and a component of the CPD programme.
The contractor training programme will take place alongside the artisan training one. Savannah Cement Managing Director Ronald Ndegwa said the firm will be deploying its full-fledged Research & Development Department to train skilled and unskilled workers seeking to acquire skills in basic masonry, excavation, foundation setting, concrete mixing, Mortar application and related techniques.
The training modules, to be delivered at an estimated cost of Kshs. 30 million are also designed to raise the artisans’ knowledge to appropriately use concrete mixes for various applications.
Due to technological advancements touching on concrete mixing and introduction of new cement products, Ndegwa said, the training sessions, will play a key role in uplifting the artisans’ skills and capacity to work with a variety of cements including Rapid Strength development cement products.
Use of rapid strength development cements, which are normally marked as “R” on the bags, Ndegwa said, allows local masons and contractors to achieve more than 70% High Early strength concrete properties, in as little as 7days, which ultimately translates to significant cost and time savings in a project.
Currently, the NCA is in the process of developing occupational standards for the 59 trades in the industry. So far, standards for masonry and plumbing have been developed, while those for carpentry, electrical works, steel fixing and scaffolding are in the process. The occupational standards are an outline of the required competencies to perform the duties required by each trade.
In Kenya, Savannah Cement enjoys pride of place as the most modern cement manufacturing and sales company, currently running an eco-friendly and energy efficient plant near Kitengela town.
Savannah Cement is not only designed to make the best use of green technology, but is also focused on revolutionising environmental management in the regional Cement Industry.
“We believe in business practices that meet the human needs while at the same time preserving the environment. Our mode of conducting business is geared towards ensuring that our services may be enjoyed in the future through a well preserved environment. We like to involve the staff and the community in our projects to create a sense of responsibility and accountability”, said Ndegwa.
The firm operates its plant in line with the requirements of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and has also adopted a policy of open communication on environmental performance and aims to operate as a good neighbour by actively participating in community initiatives in Kajiado County and beyond.
Strategically, Savannah Cement aspires to be the cement manufacturing company of choice in the region and is actively engaged in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.