12 October 2015
Azerbaijan to double production of building materials 12 October 2015
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan plans to double its production of building materials including cement in the next five years, according to a draft concept of socio-economic development for 2016 - 2019, which is currently under review in the Parliament under the budget package.
"In the following years, it is planned to expand the production of building materials and bring the quality of the products to international standards. Supplementary investments will be raised in this area, as well as modern eco-designed technology introduced, and the exports of local building materials promoted," according to the draft.
The government expects that in 2015, Azerbaijan will produce US$555m of construction materials and building material production growth will increase by 9.3%. In 2016, these figures are expected to reach US$608m and 6.1%, respectively, and in 2017, building material production growth may reach 13.1% at US$708m. In 2018, growth could reach 20.3% to US$871m, while in 2019, building material production growth could reach 16.2% to US$1.03bn. However, according to government forecasts, the construction sector is expected decline by 4.6% in 2016. The total volume of construction in the 12 months is expected to stand at US$17.5bn.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Sevinj Aliyeva said the decline of the construction sector continues against the background of cuts in public investments. "Measures to attract additional sources of financing, the use of new financing mechanisms in the housing market and the expansion of mortgage lending are particularly important to revive the construction sector," said Aliyeva.
The construction market in Azerbaijan is going through changes after recent economic shocks, including a fall in oil prices and the devaluation of the Azeri Manat. The overall standstill in the market continues as real estate prices fluctuate.
Three arrested in Ghana for re-bagging cement 12 October 2015
Ghana: Three people have been arrested for allegedly re-bagging cached foreign cement in Ghacem branded bags and selling them to the public.
Samuel Azu, Francis Cato and Philp Quarcoo were apprehended by the Tema Community 2 District Police in Community 11, Tema, Ghana. They are said to be head porters of Sol Cement, which is imported from China. The three suspects would be charged with the offense of forging trademark contrary to section 161, Act 2960. Five of their accomplices are currently on run. It is believed that the suspects also go to construction sites where they pick empty Ghacem branded bags and fill them with the inferior cement for sale to retail shops at cheaper prices.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Tema Regional Police spokeswoman, who briefed local media, said that the suspects were in the process of re-bagging the inferior cement when the police swooped on them upon a tip-off. She said that the arrest was effected on 7 Wednesday 2015 at about 6pm. According to her, the suspects also buy empty Ghacem bags from unknown sources believed to be working in the company. Obeng noted that the suspects, who admitted the offence, said that they had received the cement as gift from Sol Cement Company and decided to re-bag it.
Goerge Dawson-Ahmoah, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem, told local media that the incident could tarnish the image of Ghacem and that they would collaborate with police to punish the offenders to serve as deterrent to others. He advised buyers to always check the seals anytime they purchase Ghacem products, adding that bags that have glues are likely to have been re-bagged. Dawson-Ahmoah urged retailers to desist from buying products at cheaper prices with the intention of selling them to the public in order to make more profit.
DG Khan Cement to set up new plant at Hub 12 October 2015
Pakistan: DG Khan Cement plans to set up a new cement plant at Hub to meet growing demand of cement in the country, particularly in Karachi.
DG Cement Director of Marketing Fareed Fazal said that the new plant produce 10,000t/day of clinker. Fareed said that the company's cement was being exported regularly to Northern Africa and Sri Lanka, among others. In addition, Fazal said that recently France had expressed willingness to import bagged cement from DG Khan Cement and that efforts were afoot to meet the production requirement. The French importers, however, have requested 35kg bags instead of the standard 50kg.
Huaxin Cement to launch 5Mt/yr cement plant in Kazakhstan 12 October 2015
Kazakhstan: Huaxin Cement plans to a 5Mt/yr capacity cement plant in Kazakhstan. The plant would use a dry-process cement line and will start construction by the end of 2015. The project will cost around US$111m.
Vicem Hoang Mai Cement to build cement plant in Nghe An 12 October 2015
Vietnam: Vicem Hoang Mai Cement JSC has announced plans to build a cement plant at an estimated cost of US$480m in Nghe An. The Hoang Mai Cement 2 plant will be constructed in the 2016 - 2020 period in two phases, providing more than 2Mt/yr of cement after the completion of each phase. The products will be sold in the central region and will be exported as well.