Kenya's National Construction Authority (NCA) has signed a partnership agreement with local cement producer Savannah Cement to advance technical training programmes for contractors.

The agreement 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.

Savannah Cement Managing Director Ronald Ndegwa said the firm will be deploying its fully-fledged R&D unit to train skilled and unskilled workers seeking to acquire skills in basic masonry, excavation, foundation setting, concrete mixing, mortar application and related techniques.

The cement producer runs a 1.5Mta grinding plant in Nairobi, which it plans to increase to 2.4Mta with the installation of a second grinding unit due for completion in mid-2018.