Afghanistan: Construction work on the second phase of the Jabal Saraj cement plant in central Parwan province began on 9 July 2026. The plant will have a production capacity of 1.8Mt/yr of cement, according to Amu news. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the governor of Parwan and other officials.
Abdul Salam Hanafi said "If this plant is completed successfully, we hope it will meet the country's domestic demand for cement and may even create the capacity to export cement to other countries."
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi said increased domestic production would help lower cement prices and contribute to greater stability in Afghanistan’s construction sector. All financial and technical aspects of the project are reportedly being funded and implemented by state-run company National Development Corporation. According to the company, all stages of production, including clinker production, will be carried out at the plant.
The plant began operations in 1958, but has been marked by repeated shutdowns due to conflict, aging machinery and weak infrastructure. In 2018, the former government’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced plans to put the construction of a second phase out to tender. At the time, the investment was expected to be US$170m, with a capacity of 1Mt/yr of cement, but this was not completed before the collapse of the government in August 2021. In 2023, a contract for the first phase of the project was signed with a Qatar-based company for a reported investment of US$220m. Officials have not explained how the newly announced second phase relates operationally or financially to the earlier agreement. It has also not been disclosed whether the 5000t/day capacity refers to the second phase or to the projected capacity of the expanded plant.