Displaying items by tag: Middle East and Africa

Nigeria/Botswana: Nigeria-based producer Dangote Cement has announced plans to expand into Botswana with a new plant, which would increase its presence on the continent to 12 countries. The plan was disclosed by Emmanuel Ikazoboh, newly appointed chair of Dangote Cement, during a presentation at the Nigerian Exchange Group.

“We are fully aware of the challenges in South Africa, which is why we’re opening a plant in Botswana, geographically close to the market,” Ikazoboh said. “South Africa currently imports cement, and while we have urged the government to curb imports, progress has been slow.”

According to the company, the Botswana blending plant will help boost production and improve profitability, with Dangote Cement targeting 66.4Mt/yr across all of its operations by 2030, a 28% increase from its current capacity of 52Mt/yr.

Algeria: Interim Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, who came to power on 14 September 2025, has chaired an inter-ministerial meeting on the topic of cement and clinker exports, according to a press release from the Prime Minister's office. Those present included the ministers of finance, foreign trade and export promotion, public works and transport, the Governor of the Bank of Algeria, and economic operators active in the cement export sector. The meeting was reportedly prompted by a request from the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The meeting provided Interim Prime Minister Ghrieb the opportunity to receive presentations on the state of infrastructure at the ports involved in export operations and to listen to the concerns and proposals of the economic operators present. It agreed a series of immediate and short-term measures by streamlining the operation of current infrastructure. Medium-term proposals to target a greater proportion of cement and clinker towards export markets, including investment in new infrastructure, were also discussed.

Kenya: On 16 September 2025, the Kenyan government directed the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) to pursue a share buyback of a 29.2% stake owned by Switzerland’s Holcim, in what looks set to derail the sale of the shares to a Tanzanian tycoon.

The planned sale of the EAPCC shares to the Tanzanian investor Edhah Abdallah Munif had raised concerns in Parliament over the discounted cost of the deal, which had been set to take place at just half of the company’s stock price. Legislators have queried why shares in the asset-rich firm were being sold at a knock-down price.

Under the terms of the Tanzanian deal, Munif had been set to buy 26.32 million EAPCC shares from Holcim using an investment firm known as Kalahari Cement for a total of US$5.6m, which values the company at US$19.2m. Its share price on 17 September 2025 suggested a value of around US$38.5m.

To proceed with the share buyback, EAPCC must get approval from the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). The maximum share buyback price is 10% more than the average price over a month, while the minimum is the prevailing price on the Nairobi Stock Exchange.

Ghana: The Chamber of Cement Manufacturers (COCMAG) has raised concerns about a surge of imported bagged cement, mainly from Togo, according to local press.

In a statement to the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, COCMAG CEO George Dawson-Ahmoah said that foreign cement brands, particularly from Togo, are increasingly ‘flooding’ the Ghanaian market without undergoing mandatory product certification by the Ghana Standards Authority. He said that this raises safety concerns for buildings and infrastructure.

Beyond safety, Dawson-Ahmoah said that the influx is distorting market dynamics. “Our local manufacturers have made substantial investments to expand production capacity, create jobs, and contribute meaningfully to Ghana's economic development. As such, the influx of imported cement without any value addition to the local economy risks eroding these gains, weakening investor confidence and destabilising the entire industry.

Iraq: Multipower International (MPI) has announced the successful commissioning of Line 2 at Najmat Al Samawa Cement plant, according to a post on LinkedIn. The commissioning was carried out by MPI’s team, certified by Fives Pillard, with additional remote support from Fives Pillard experts.

Cold commissioning involved testing the fuel handling skids without load, checking instrument functions and resolving hardware and software discrepancies. Hot commissioning included testing the skids under load, burner alignment, flame detection, control valve calibration, automation integration and operation of the full system.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement despatched 481,000t of clinker from Nigeria to its subsidiaries in Cameroon and Ghana in the first half of 2025, according to its latest activity report. While country-specific volumes were not disclosed, the company said that the supply ensured production continuity in these key markets and helped mitigate volatility in international clinker prices.

The group’s 1.5Mt/yr clinker grinding plant in Douala, Cameroon, sold 687,000t of cement in the first half of 2025, down by 3% from 710,000t in the same period of 2024. Dangote Cement attributed the decline to a temporary slowdown in demand.

Despite this, the outlook remains positive, supported by major infrastructure projects such as the Douala–Yaoundé highway and nationwide road rehabilitation. “These initiatives should maintain sustained cement demand in the medium term, despite uncertainties linked to the general elections scheduled for October 2025,” the report stated.

In Congo, however, sales stagnated at 446,000t in the first half of 2025 due to logistical challenges that limited exports, despite the resumption of public projects.

Looking ahead, Dangote Cement is moving forward with its long-delayed expansion in Cameroon. Bertrand Mbouck, General Manager of Dangote Cement Cameroon, confirmed that construction of a second plant had officially commenced after receiving government approval. The project, first announced in 2015 by Group CEO Aliko Dangote, was originally given a 20-month duration.

Gabon: The Council of Ministers, chaired by Head of State Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has announced a ban on the import of clinker from 1 January 2027, according to Gabon Actu news. Local clinker production ceased in 2014, leaving Gabon dependent on imports to supply cement for construction projects. The president said that the reliance on foreign clinker has placed a burden on the trade balance and hindered infrastructure development.

Authorities said that the decision is part of a broader strategy to promote economic autonomy and revive national industry. The government expects clinker production to restart within a year, with support from industrial partners and available domestic resources.

Egypt: The government has announced a series of measures to stabilise the cement market following a period of price increases, according to Ahram Online. Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir announced steps to boost production, limit exports and introduce transparent pricing.

At the end of August 2025, El-Wazir met with major cement producers, regulators and chambers of commerce and called for further price reductions, alongside continuous production, and said that eight idle production lines would be restarted. Local cement production reached 25.39Mt between January and July 2025, up from 23.3Mt a year earlier. With demand expected to grow both domestically and abroad, the government has signalled that it may issue new licences for cement factories. Among the government’s new measures are requiring companies to print the anticipated retail price on cement bags at least one month in advance to protect customers from sudden price fluctuations.

Algeria: The Souakri Group has signed a one-year agreement with a Libyan partner to supply cement by land and sea during the Intra-African Trade Fair in Algiers. The deal is valued at US$51m. Contracts signed at the fair, between Algerian and and other African companies totalled over US$300m, according to local press.

Algeria: Holcim El Djazaïr announced that more than 40% of its cement exports are directed to African markets. The company said that it accounts for 35% of the country’s cement sector exports, equivalent to 3.4Mt/yr.

The producer said in a press release that it is supported by an ambitious investment policy aimed at making Algeria an African cement hub. This includes increasing plant storage capacity, creating port loading facilities, building new storage infrastructure near ports and deploying a dedicated road fleet to strengthen its export logistics chain.