October 2025

Nigeria: Aliko Dangote, owner of Dangote Cement and Africa’s richest person, has been appointed by Nigeria’s government to lead a committee tasked to eliminate malaria. The committee will also include Folorunsho Alakija, another Nigerian billionaire, as well as other successful local business owners. Dangote was chosen to lead the committee, which will be comprised of 16 members, due to his previous financial support of various public health measures, including polio vaccination programmes.

The anti-malaria team was brought together to battle the growing cases in Nigeria, which has the highest prevalence of infection worldwide. According to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, eliminating malaria could save the country US$1.6bn/yr at present and up to US$4.8bn/yr by 2030.

Qatar: Qatar National Cement Company recorded revenues of US$106m in the first half of 2022, down by 5.7% year-on-year from US$113m in the first half of 2021. Despite this, the producer's net profit underwent an 18% year-on-year increase to US$30.5m from US$25.9m.

Saudi Arabia: Qassim Cement's sales fell by 30% year-on-year to US$78.4m in the first half of 2022 from US$112m in the first half of 2021. High costs compounded the decline to result in a net profit drop of 73% to US$14.4m from US$53.5m. The fall in profit was less sharp in the second quarter of 2022 than in the first: it fell by 75% year-on-year to US$6.68m in the first quarter of the year and by 71% year-on-year to US$7.71m in the second quarter of the year.

India: Shaurashtra Cement's results for the first quarter of its 2023 financial year have shown a 30% year-on-year increase in the company's revenues to US$26.9m from US$20.6m in the first quarter of the previous financial year. Meanwhile, it recorded a US$128,000 net loss, compared to a US$1.61m profit in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year.

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement recorded sales of US$1.67bn in the first half of 2022, up by 2.5% year-on-year from US$1.62bn in the first half of 2021. The group's cement segment increased its sales revenues during the half by 8.2% to US$1.42bn from US$1.31bn. Cement thus contributed 86% of revenues during the period. Net income attributable to the company's shareholders during the half totaled US$251m, down by 5.1% US$264m.

China: China National Building Material subsidiary Gansu Qilianshan Cement recorded an operating income of US$581m in the first half of 2022, up by 20% year-on-year from US$485m. Despite this, the producer's net profit during the half declined by 16% to US$73.7m.

India: The board of directors of UltraTech Cement has approved the addition of an extra 22.6Mt/yr-worth of cement production capacity across the company's footprint. The new additions will span all of India and consists of both new plant builds and expansions. New capacity will commence production in a phased manner from mid-2024. UltraTech Cement expects to invest US$1.61bn in the growth phase.

Chair Kumar Mangalam Birla said "The Aditya Birla Group’s pace of activity, range of businesses and depth of global presence provide a useful compass to navigate this age of disruption. Against the backdrop of our long history as a group, dynamism leaps out as a common theme. Over the years, we have witnessed multiple business cycles. Across businesses and markets, our evolution is a story of continuous renewal and regeneration, as we aggressively invest in growth and create long-term value for all stakeholders."

Sri Lanka: Insee Cement has broken ground on its construction of a 45,000m³-capacity storage facility at Hambantota International Port. When commissioned in early 2023, the facility will store ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) for use in Insee Cement's cement production. Daily News has reported the cost of the facility's construction as US$3m. At 17,300m², the Hambantota storage facility will be the largest warehouse at any port in Sri Lanka.

Insee Cement chair and CEO Nandana Ekanayake said "Hambantota Port is a vital link in our raw materials supply chain. Insee Cement has been using this port since 2018 and so far we have cleared around 1.7Mt of bulk cargo through the port, of which we did a little over 1Mt in 2021. Today, we laid this foundation as another step to strengthen our partnership with Hambantota International Port Group." Ekanayake concluded "We see great potential in developing channels through Hambantota International Port and we will double our investment in the future."

India: JK Cement’s consolidated sales were US$272m in the first quarter of its 2023 financial year, up by 33% year-on-year from US$205m. The company sold 3.56Mt of cement, up by 18% from 3.02Mt in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. Its costs per tonne rose to US$62.32/t from US$51.32/t. This restricted the group’s earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growth to 0.1% year-on-year, at US$50.3m, compared to US$50.2m one year previously.

JK Cement forecast 10% year-on-year cement volumes growth in the 2023 financial year as a whole. It said that it expects to accelerate its rate of sales growth from September 2022. Its focus throughout the financial year will be on capturing new markets and increasing its blended cement share.

Brazil: The Administrative Court of the Brazilian Administrative Council of Economic Defence (CADE) has approved Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional subsidiary CSN Cimentos’ acquisition of LafargeHolcim Brasil, ‘without restrictions.’ The acquisition more than doubles CSN Cimentos’ capacity to 16.3Mt/yr, giving it the largest market share, ahead of InterCement Brasil.