India: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a notice to Kalaburagi Cement in Chatrasala village, after an inspection reportedly identified several deviations from environmental regulations.

The integrated plant has a capacity of 3.6Mt/yr of cement and 2.75Mt/yr of clinker. It also has a 30MW captive power plant and 8.4MW waste heat recovery system. The CPCB said that, although continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) had been installed in five stacks, monitoring equipment for particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) had not been installed in the 130t/hr capacity boiler stack.

Manual observations also found PM concentrations exceeding the prescribed limit of 30mg/m³ in three stacks, recording levels of 38.1mg/m³, 63.3mg/m³ and 357mg/m³ in the reverse air bag house, cement mill 1 and clinker cooler stacks, respectively.

The CPCB noted a ‘significant deviation’ between CEMS readings, which showed PM levels below 30mg/m³, and the manual monitoring results. The board has directed the plant to take corrective action.

Nigeria: Lafarge Africa, part of China’s Huaxin Cement, has posted a 35% year-on-year increase in sales for the 2025 financial year in what the company described as a ‘historic performance.’ It reported revenue of US$737m in 2025, an increase from US$568m in 2024.

The company’s profit after tax rose sharply by 30% from US$68.0m in 2024 to US$75.2m in 2025. The company attributed the robust performance to volume-led growth, enhanced plant stability, improved distribution efficiency, retail expansion and prudent financial management across its operations.

Lafarge Africa’s CEO Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, described the outcome as a validation of the company's strategic direction. Commenting on the fact that the company’s revenue had passed 1 trillion Nigeria Naira for the first time, he said “Our full-year 2025 results are a testament to the effectiveness of our strategy, disciplined execution and relentless focus on value creation. Reaching the ₦1Tn revenue threshold marks a historic turning point for our company.”

Looking ahead to 2026, the company projected a positive outlook, reaffirming its commitment to improving capacity utilisation, embedding sustainability across operations, and maintaining industry-leading health and safety standards.

Switzerland: Holcim has reported what it called ‘excellent’ financial results for 2025, highlighting double-digit growth in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and an ‘industry-leading’ margin of 18.3%.

Holcim’s full year sales were €17.2bn, a rise of 3.0% year-on-year compared to €16.7bn in 2024. Its recurring EBIT was €3.15bn, a 10.3% rise compared to €2.85bn in 2024. Its operating profit was €2.79bn, a 0.3% decline compared to €2.80bn in 2024. The group’s Building Materials business segment, which includes cement production, saw net sales of €12.7bn, a decline of 2.5% compared to €13.0bn in 2024. While earnings fell in most markets, lower spending led to improved margins. In Europe, net sales across to external customers fell by 2.8% all business lines, from €9.65bn in 2024 to €9.38bn in 2025. The company reported margin growth, which it said was driven by customer demand for Holcim’s sustainable offering, and an acceleration in decarbonisation and circular construction.

Latin America delivered double-digit sales in local currency terms in 2025, although this was not reflected in Euro terms, with a decline of 1.5% from €3.44bn in 2024 to €3.39bn in 2025. In Asia, the Middle East and Africa, net sales to external customers also fell, by 8.3%, from €4.33bn in 2024 to €3.97bn in 2025.

Miljan Gutovic, CEO, said “I sincerely thank all of Holcim’s over 45,000 employees for their outstanding work. We delivered strong profitable growth in 2025, with a double-digit recurring EBIT increase in local currency and an industry-leading margin of 18.3%. Margin expansion was driven by strong cost discipline, operational excellence and the scaling up of our sustainable offering to meet increased customer demand.”

Kenya: ARM Cement is moving to wind up its operations as administrators work to finalise liquidation proceedings, according to Capital Business. The company faces US$91m in outstanding debt and unresolved tax issues in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Joint administrators Muniu Thoithi and George Weru said the closure will be managed carefully to settle outstanding liabilities, pay creditors and shut down its subsidiaries.

“In this regard, the liquidators will be engaging with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) with a view to adjudicating upon and ultimately settling the dividends due in respect of these liabilities. We expect to resolve this matter by June 2026,” the administrators said in a report.

Most of ARM Cement’s tax matters in Kenya have been addressed, but the company continues to work with the KRA to confirm full compliance with insolvency laws. Outside of Kenya, remaining obligations involve the Tanzania Revenue Authority and the Rwanda Revenue Authority, linked to asset sales, including Kigali Cement in Rwanda.