Nigeria: A Dangote Cement lorry suffered a brake failure on a hill in Nasarawa State and collided with a people carrier, killing all 11 passengers. Passengers of other vehicles were also injured. The Punch newspaper has described the lorry as ‘heavily-laden.’

This follows the head-on collision of a Dangote lorry with a bus in Ikorodu, Lagos State, in August 2019, which killed three and injured all 69 other bus passengers. The lorry, carrying 45t, significantly over its rated capacity, had suffered a brake failure. Both incidents are under investigation by the company.

Brazil: Brazil’s National Syndicate of the Cement Industry (SNIC) has released August 2019 sales figures of 5.10Mt, up by 3.0% year-on-year from 4.95% in August 2019. This corresponds to an equal apparent consumption of cement in the country of 5.10Mt, up by 2.9% year-on-year from 4.96Mt in August 2018. Besides rising demand, SNIC points to non-repeating depressing factors acting on domestic cement capacity a year ago, including a lorry drivers’ strike.

Oman: CMO Asia International Consulting has twice decorated Oman’s Raysut Cement at its first Oman Leadership Awards. Raysut won ‘Best Company for Socially Responsible Practice’ and ‘Best Cement Trading Brand.’

Argentina: Argentina’s Association of Portland Cement Manufacturers (AFCP) has reported on a 5.0% month-on-month growth in cement volumes sold to 1.05Mt in August 2019 from 1.00Mt in July of the same year. Domestic production continues to meet the entirety of demand, which grew by 5.1% year-on-year to 1.00Mt in July 2019 from 0.95Mt in July 2018.