Displaying items by tag: trade

China/US: The Chinese Ministry of Finance has increased tariffs on selected US goods, including cement, to 25% with effect from 1 June 2019. It said it took the action in response to escalating US tariffs in May 2019. The new Chinese tariffs range from 10% to 25% and include clinker, white cement, other Portland cements, other hydraulic cement, refractory cement, additives for cement, plaster and concrete, limestone, quicklime, slaked lime, gypsum, refractory products and cement packaging machinery.

UK/Nigeria: Aliko Dangote, the owner of Dangote Cement, has reiterated his intention to list the company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), following a meeting with the UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Lagos. May was in the country as part of a multi-stop trade tour of African nations ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union in March 2019. Dangote Cement is worth an estimated US$7bn.

During the visit May said, “Already the finance and business links between Lagos and London are bringing enormous benefits to businesses and people in the UK and in Nigeria. London is a world-leading financial centre and, as the UK leaves the European Union, it will play an even greater role in financing the fastest-growing economies across Africa and the world.”

Africa: The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to help Dangote Cement’s production capacity to expand 27.5Mt/yr by 2030. The Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN) made the forecast as part of a report on the potential benefits of the free trade area, according to this This Day newspaper. The report follows a meeting of the African Union in Mauritania in late June 2018. It used the cement industry as a case study for the benefits of the free trade arrangement.