Displaying items by tag: Government
Lion cement brand to launch in Cameroon in October 2017
04 September 2017Cameroon: Egin (Entreprise générale industrielle) plans to launch Lion brand cement in October 2017. The company signed an investment agreement with the government’s Investment Promotion Agency (API) in late Augut 2017, according to local press. Around US$15m has been invested in a production unit based in Douala. The site is expcted to employ 30 workers.
Philippines: Chief executives from Eagle Cement, Taiheiyo Cement Philippines, Republic Cement, Cemex Philippines and Mabuhay Filcement have opposed government plans for a minimum requirement of pre-shipment inspection for cement imports. Instead they have called for a rigorous testing procedure for all cement coming from abroad to ensure consumer safety, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. In a letter Paul Ang, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Eagle Cement asked the government to draw up revised rules and guidelines on the issue for the cement industry. He also requested that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other agencies combat technical smuggling of cement.
In separate letters to the DTI, Taiheiyo Cement Philippines president and CEO Satoshi Asabi, Mabuhay Filcement CEO Enrison Benedicto, incoming Republic Cement president Nabil Francis and Cemex Philippines president Ignacio Mijares also argued against pre-shipment inspection in favour of testing imports upon arrival in the country.
Indonesia: Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Rini Soemarno has launched an affordable cement programme for Papua province targeted at its mountainous regions. The scheme is being run with five state-owned companies: Semen Indonesia, Pelni, Pelindo IV, Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia and Pos Indonesia. The scheme has been introduced due to poor transport links to and within the province in conjunction with improvements to road and port infrastructure, according to the Antara news agency. Cement under the scheme is imported by Semen Indonesia to the port at Timika before being distributed by road and aeroplane.
Nepal: The Investment Board Nepal has delayed signing a Project Investment Agreement (PIA) with China’s Hongshi-Shivam Cement due to ‘technical reasons.’ The joint venture is currently building a US$360m cement plant at Nawalparasi. The deal, which would have protected the interests of the foreign investor, has been deferred while Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba visits India in late August 2017, according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. Sources quoted by the newspaper attribute the delay to tensions perceived by the Nepalese government regarding infrastructure projects backed by India and China. The agreement is expected to be signed on 3 September 2017.
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry has confirmed its support for a plan to require cement importers to secure licenses and clearances for their products. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez backed the plan first issued in February 2017, according to the Philippines Star newspaper. The Department Administrative Order requires the application of the Philippine Standards licenses on foreign producers of cement imports and import commodity clearance on cement imports, as well as setting a minimum paid capitalisation of US$0.4m for all cement importers. The measures are intended to support domestic self-sufficiency in the cement industry.
Chettinad Cement wins investment proposal approval from Odisha state government to build grinding plant
31 July 2017India: Chettinad Cement has received approval from the Odisha State-level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) for an investment proposal to build a 2Mt/yr cement grinding plant at the Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex in Jajpur district. The project is budgeted at US$36m, according to the Press Trust of India.
Uzbekistan: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has issues a decree detailing the construction of a new 1.2Mt/yr cement plant. The US$204m unit will be built at Bulakbashy, Andijan by 2019, according to the Trend News Agency. Shangfeng-Bridge of Friendship, a Uzbek-Chinese joint-venture, will manage the project. Investment for the scheme will come from foreign direct investment and loans, a loan from Uzpromstroybank and from Shangfeng-Bridge of Friendship directly. Tax and customs relief will also be offered to Shangfeng-Bridge of Friendship as part of the project.
Liberia: The government is considering a 17-year tax reduction deal worth US$200m to encourage the Liberia Steel and Cement Mining (LICEMCO) to build a cement and steel plant. The so-called Investment Incentive Agreement is between the government, the TIDFORE Investment Company and LICEMCO, according to the Liberian Observer newspaper. A government Committee on Investment and Lands, Mines and Energy will investigate and report on the proposal by the end of July 2017.
Oman: Tanfeedh, the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification, is calling for captive coal power stations to be used to support new cement plants that are being planned for the Duqm special economic zone. The programme wants two Ordinary Portland Cement plants and a white cement plant to be built in the zone to reduce imports, according to the Oman Daily Observer newspaper. It also wants investors to build one cement grinding plants in Duqm and one in Suhar. Tanfeedh says that the country used 9Mt of cement in 2015 but that only 44% came from local producers.
Zambia and Sinoconst to build US$548m cement plant
10 July 2017Zambia: President Edgar Lungu has launched a US$548m cement plant project to be built in Ndola by the government and China’s Sinoconst. The plant will be a joint venture between the government-owned Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings (ZCCM) and Sinoconst, according to Reuters. The project is intended to diversify the country’s industries away from copper mining. The unit will have a cement production capacity of 5000t/day and will use two 20MW captive coal-power plants.