10 March 2025

Nigeria: The Kebbi State Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with MSM Cement to build a cement plant with a production capacity of 3Mt/yr. MSM Cement has pledged to create approximately 45,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities through the project.

According to The Nation Online newspaper, the cement plant will be developed in four phases, with each cluster attracting over US$600m in investment. The chair of MSM Group, Alhaji Muazzam Mairawani, said that production will commence within two years, adding that MSM plans to expand to other states after Kebbi. The strategic location of the plant near the border allows it to take advantage of exports under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Canada: Heidelberg Materials North America has secured government support from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for its carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) project at its Edmonton cement plant in Alberta. The project aims to capture over 1Mt/yr of CO₂.

In 2023, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry signed a letter of intent to contribute US$191m to the project, with US$34m already allocated for phase one. The remaining US$157m will be finalised through a phase two agreement to support the construction of the CCUS system and a combined heat and power (CHP) facility. The funding has been earmarked under the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and is contingent on Heidelberg Materials making its final investment decision.

“This groundbreaking partnership with Heidelberg Materials takes us one step closer to a net-zero Canada by 2050,” Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne said. “By building North America’s first carbon capture system in cement, we’re driving innovation, cutting emissions and securing a sustainable future.”

India: Ambuja Cements will invest US$286m in two cement carriers and eight clinker carriers. The company expects to finalise a shipbuilding contract within 15 days, with Cochin Shipyard and Swan Defence and Heavy Industries under consideration.

Each 38,500t Handymax cement carrier will cost US$45.8m, while each 9200t clinker carrier will cost US$22.9m. The clinker carriers will have a 30m beam, 4m draft and 150m length, increasing cargo capacity from the traditional 3000t to 9200t per trip.

Nigeria: ABC Transport has expanded its trucking capacity with a new fleet of heavy-duty bulk cement carriers. This follows the company's introduction of compressed natural gas trucks to improve cement haulage for Lafarge Africa. The new vehicles will transport cement from Lafarge's plant to construction sites nationwide, increasing ABC Transport’s bulk cement delivery capacity to 150,000t/yr.

The company has also acquired a site near Lafarge’s Cross River cement plant to streamline truck maintenance and turnaround efficiency.

India: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) will procure 10MW of solar power from Kilavikulam Rajalakshmi’s captive plant in Tamil Nadu. The producer will also acquire a 35% equity share in the solar power developer.

Kilavikulam Rajalakshmi is a special purpose vehicle for the 10MW solar project. Dalmia Cement said the acquisition will increase its renewable power supply as part of its commitment to RE100 by 2030 and becoming carbon negative by 2040.