Displaying items by tag: Middle East and Africa

Tanzania: Cement production reached 10.9Mt in 2024 against domestic demand of 8.5Mt/yr, according to Industry and Trade Minister Seleman Jafo. The Guardian newspaper reports that the resulting surplus of 2.43Mt was exported to Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Key exporters included Dangote Industries, Tanzania Portland Cement, Lake Cement, Mbeya Cement and Tanga Cement. The sector reportedly created 12,500 jobs, comprising 5220 direct and 17,280 indirect roles.

Iraq: Kurdistan Region prime minister Masrour Barzani will inaugurate the Dabin cement plant and power station in Erbil Governorate today, 12 May 2025, according to Kurdistan24 news. The foundation stone was laid nearly two years ago, on 22 June 2023.

The project spans 212,000m² and was built by China Power Investment Corporation. It includes a 6300t/day capacity cement plant and a 52MW power station, intended to both support the energy needs of the plant and feed into the broader grid to alleviate strain on regional electricity supplies. A limestone quarry 1km away from the plant supplies the limestone for production, where geological surveys have reportedly confirmed reserves of 150Mt, sufficient to sustain operations for at least 50 years.

Raw material is transported to the plant using a 1400t/hr capacity industrial crusher. The processed material is stored in four 10,000t silos, each 18m in diameter and 56m tall.  

Iraq: IVI Holding has signed a US$240m engineering, procurement and construction contract with Sinoma Overseas to build a new 6000t/day cement plant in Al-Muthanna Province.

The agreement was signed in Dubai on 9 May 2025 by IVI Holding chair Hussein Shamara and Sinoma Overseas chair Linhe Zhu.

The project forms part of the Iraqi government’s US$1.17bn industrial programme for Muthanna announced in April 2025.

Yemen: China-based Yuantai Crane Machinery has delivered and installed a 5t LH series overhead crane with electric hoist trolley to a cement mixing facility in Sana’a, replacing manual chain hoists and forklifts, according to Hoist Magazine.

The plant required a compact crane capable of handling 1t-5t cement bags, mixer covers and maintenance parts. The new crane is capable of lifting up to 5t at 8m/min with 20m/min trolley travel, and operates between 20°C and 40°C. It also meets ISO A4 duty standards. The crane was installed in two days, reducing lift cycle times from 120s to 65s and increasing the plant’s daily handling capacity by 30%.

Uganda: Hima Cement has said that over 50% of its fuel for cement production now comes from renewable biomass instead of heavy fuel oil (HFO). Head of regulatory affairs David Mugagga said that the biomass used to fuel the kilns at Hima Cement’s plants is sourced from coffee husks, palm kernels, rice husks and sawdust. Mugagga also said that the company collects hazardous waste to use as fuel, reducing the amount that goes to landfill.

Kenya: Kenya’s cement clinker imports have dropped by 93% year-on-year to 10,340t in 2024 from 148,000t in 2023, according to the government’s 2025 Economic Survey. The value of imported clinker fell to US$27,500 from US$409,000 in 2023 and US$3.2bn in 2020. Import volumes had already fallen by 77% in 2023, from 656Mt in 2022.

Cement production declined by 7% from 9.6Mt to 8.9Mt in 2024, while consumption also fell by 7% to 8.5Mt. Construction sector growth contracted by 0.7% in 2024, down from 3% in 2023.

Uganda: Lands, Housing and Urban Development minister Judith Nabakooba said that the government and the Naita-A-Tepeth Communal Land Association have finalised a lease agreement to enable Tororo Cement to build Uganda’s first clinker plant in Katikekile, Moroto District. Nabakooba said that the project began in 2023, and will reduce clinker imports and conserve foreign exchange.

According to a social media post by the ministry, the agreement includes the sale of 202 hectares to Tororo Cement for the plant site, the lease of 3824 acres to the Uganda Investment Authority and the titling of institutional land for local public use.

Morocco: Cement sales increased by 4.5% during the first quarter of 2025, to reach 3.38Mt, according to the Department of Financial Studies and Forecasts. Sales in the same period of 2024 were 3.25Mt. This growth was reportedly driven in particular by the precast concrete sector, which saw growth of 16.8%, and the ready-mix concrete sector, which grew by 18.6% year-on-year.

Angola: The government has announced that it expects to receive around US$240m from the privatisation of three companies owned by China International Found (CIF) Angola, following the auction of their factories. As well as CIF Automobile Assembly Unit and CIF Lowenda Beer Factory, the government is privatising CIF Cement Cement Factory, for which it anticipates receiving US$197m for the asset. The Griner/Ciment/Mercons consortium was the preferred bidder, with the H&S/Yupeng consortium second, Moçambique Dugongo Cimentos third and Huaxin Cement fourth.

The three companies were previously nationalised by the Angolan state as part of an anti-corruption process.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement recorded a profit after tax of US$131m for the quarter ending 31 March 2025, up by 86% from US$70.5m in the same period of 2024. Revenue rose by 22% year-on-year to US$623m, driven largely by strategic pricing initiatives in Nigeria, where revenue grew by 54%. Gross profit rose to US$368m from US$262m, while profit before tax increased by 87% to US$195m from US$104m. Group earnings by interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) surged by 49% to US$289m.

The group’s cement volumes declined by 7% to 6.6Mt during the quarter, reflecting reduced demand and heightened inflationary pressures across key markets. However, export volumes grew by 21%, supported by eight clinker shipments to Ghana and Cameroon.