Global Cement News

Uganda: Two Kenyan nationals have been killed after a crane collapsed at an expansion project at Tororo cement. Three other workers were also severely injured in the incident, according to the New Vision newspaper. All the workers were working on behalf of a Kenyan construction contractor that is building the upgrade at the site.

Ivory Coast: Cement prices have risen sharply following a housing boom, congestion in transport links and renovation work at the port in Abidjan. The Association of Cement Producers of Cote d'Ivoire (APCCI) has also blamed a lack of vehicles due to competition with the coffee and cocoa markets, according to Financial Afrik. The association has called for haulers and dealers to exercise ‘restraint’ when setting prices. The country has a cement production capacity of 4.15Mt/yr according to the APCCI. The local market is currently estimated to be 3.6Mt/yr.

Rwanda: The Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Affairs has said that the value of cement imports dropped by nearly half to US$42m in 2016 from US$80m in 2015. The development comes as the government looks for ways to strengthen capacity for local production to meet growing housing demand and reduce expenses on imports, according to the New Times newspaper. Local producer Cimerwa, a subsidiary of South Africa’s PPC, is currently building a new 0.6Mt/yr cement plant in Bugarama, Rusizi, that will be ready for production in mid-2018. It has also called for imports of cement to the country to be restricted.

India: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to delay a deadline for compliance to emission standards by two years to 2019. New regulations covering emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter for plants that do not co-process alternative fuels were due to be implemented from 31 March 2017, according to the Financial Express newspaper. However, the DIPP says that it doesn’t think that the industry is ready to adhere to them yet.

Philippines: The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has reduced the permit requirements for cement producers and other mineral extractors. Following orders by President Rodrigo Duterte to reduce red tape and redundancy in government the bureau says that cement producers and contractors holding quarry and industrial sand and gravel (ISG) permits are no longer required to secure mineral processing permits (MPP). The change is effective immediately. It has also clarified that the actual production of cement is covered already under the manufacturing sector and does not require an MPP. The MGB added that it is reviewing other existing policies on mining tenement requirements.