Angola: Fabrica de Cimento do Kwanza Sul (FCKS) has started selling its Yetu cement product in Luau, Moxico province. 400t of the product has been transported via the Benguela railway as part of a sales expansion drive, according to the Angola Press Agency. Huambo and Bié will be targeted next.

FCKS plant shut down in November 2017 and reopened in April 2018. The unit is planning to increase its production capacity to 10,000t/day from 5000t/day in the next stage of its improvement scheme.

Switzerland/Uganda: LafargeHolcim has been criticised by two Swiss non-governmental groups (NGO) over alleged child labour issues in Uganda. The Protestant Church group Brot Für Alle and the Catholic Lenten Fund have accused the multinational of delaying compensation to alleged child labour victims, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. LafargeHolcim has denied the accusations. The NGOs have published video statements by children testifying that they previously worked for suppliers to Hima Cement, a local subsidiary of LafargeHolcim.

A report published in 2016 claimed that around 150 Ugandan children had worked for 10 years in quarries that supplied Hima Cement with pozzolana. Both Hima Cement and its parent company denied the claims. Later, Hima Cement subsequently announced that it would stop buying raw materials from small-scale miners and only source them from mechanised quarries that employ adults. At the same time LafargeHolcim commissioned an investigation that concluded that there was no evidence that children had worked for Hima Cement or for any of its other suppliers.

Qatar: Alkhalij Cement, a subsidiary of Qatari Investors Group, has reached three years or 3.5 million hours without accidents, at its plant in Umm Bab. The company said that achievement showed that its employees had followed safety rules with dedication and reliability, according to the Qatar Tribune newspaper. Alkhalij Cement operates an integrated plant with a clinker production capacity of 6000t/day.

Croatia/Montenegro: Cemex Crotia says it is supplying cement for a local construction boom in Montenegro. It is supplying building materials for several infrastructure projects, including three mixed-use resorts and a motorway. It has already supplied over 0.28Mt of cement for the Smokovac-Mateševo section of the Bar-Boljare motorway. It has also supplied over 0.2Mt/yr of cement for resort projects at Portonovi, Porto Montenegro, and Luštica Bay on the Adriatic coast.