Democratic Republic of Congo: Cimenterie Kongo (CIMKO) plans to invest over US$300m to expand its cement production capacity from 1.4Mt/yr to 3Mt/yr by 2027. The joint venture between the Rawji Group and Lucky Cement has operated a plant in Songololo, Kongo-Central province since 2018. The investment responds to growing demand from public and private construction and aims to reduce imports and stabilise prices. According to the Central Bank of the Congo, cement consumption reached 2.55Mt in 2023, while local production totalled 2.3Mt, with the shortfall covered by imports.
Other producers are also expanding. China-based WIH Cement plans to raise its capacity to 2.2Mt/yr by 2027, while the Chinese consortium Avic-Conch has partnered with the Congolese government to restart the National Cement plant in Kimpese, Kongo-Central.
The government banned grey cement and clinker imports in the southeast and southwest in July 2024 to support the domestic industry. However, in October 2025, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku ordered an investigation into illegal imports from Nigeria’s Dangote Cement that were reportedly still entering the country due to rising prices of local cement.
