Nepal: State-owned Hetauda Cement Industry is facing severe financial difficulties and continues to operate intermittently, despite recently resuming clinker production after a long shutdown, according to Ratopati news. The company is reportedly burdened with debts of around US$8.2m and has not paid employees their salaries for nine months. The plant once employed around 1100 workers, but now has only 136 staff remaining, with some employees working double or triple shifts due to staff shortages.

Bhakti Ram Shrestha, deputy manager at the plant, said that the company has been struggling financially for the past three to four years and lacks funds to purchase raw materials or spare parts for damaged machinery. Rubin Majhi, who works in the ‘kiln department’, said that the plant’s ageing equipment contributes to low production levels, but that electricity costs still reach around US$244,000 per month.

Management has submitted proposals to the government, including a request for a US$1.6m loan to resume operations and repay debts, but no approvals have been granted so far.

Majhi said that the plant would need modern equipment capable of producing 2800-3000t/day of cement to become financially viable.

Nigeria: According to Dangote Cement’s audited financial statements, the company exported 970,100t of clinker to Cameroon and Ghana in 2025, shipped via 34 vessels. This volume represents a 7% increase compared to 2024. Cameroon and Ghana accounted for 69% of Nigeria’s clinker exports, while total clinker exports reached 1.4Mt in 2025, up by 19% year-on-year.

The clinker shipments helped to sustain production at Dangote Cement’s Cameroon-based subsidiary, which saw local sales fall by 14% in 2025, with volumes from the 1.5Mt/yr-capacity Douala plant declining to 1.2Mt from 1.4Mt in 2024.

Despite the weaker performance in 2025, Dangote Cement expects demand in Cameroon to improve in 2026, supported by ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Douala–Yaoundé highway and other road and bridge developments.

The company is also considering expanding its production capacity in Cameroon, either by expanding the existing Douala plant or reviving the long-delayed Nomayos cement plant project near Yaoundé. However, this project has been on hold for more than a decade. This forms part of a broader expansion plan across several African countries under a US$1bn contract signed with Sinoma Engineering in February 2026.

India: The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UltraTech Cement to support skill development and capacity building in India’s construction sector. The agreement was signed by Dr L P Singh, Director General of NCB, and Rahul Goel, Head of Technical Services at UltraTech Cement, at NCB’s Ballabgarh facility. The collaboration will focus on structured training and certification programmes for civil engineers, ready-mix concrete professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Training programmes will cover areas including material quality testing, concrete mix design, durability and sustainable construction practices. The initiative will also include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and plant visits to improve practical knowledge and technical skills.

Lebanon: Cimenterie Nationale, producer of Al Sabeh Cement, has announced it will cease cement production and delivery operations after more than 70 years of activity and has asked its employees ‘to stay at home,’ according to Annahar news. The company said it had suffered heavy losses in recent years due to an inability to operate its quarries, after local authorities reportedly refused to grant it the necessary permits.

In 2024, Lebanon’s Council of State issued a final decision confirming the company’s right to obtain the permit, but the decision has not yet been implemented by the government. Cimenterie Nationale said it submitted a new application in June 2025 for a ten-year permit, but approval has still not been granted.