The first set of the Dangote Cement bags, the 3x Premium, will hit the
Cameroun market in January 2015, the management of the company has said.
Conducting the Cameroonian media round the 1.5 million metric tonnes per
annum capacity plant in Douala, the General Manager of the Plant, Engineer
Baba Abdullahi said the plant was already being test run and full
production would start next month.
He said Dangote Cement would be deploying its state of the art machinery
and latest technology from the point of production to delivery to
customers adding that the Company is known for employing the best
practices in its operation.
According to him, the entry of Dangote cement in the Cameroonian market
would significantly contribute to the growth of the country’s economy and
that the management of Dangote cement is upbeat about the prospect of
stimulating the construction and housing sectors of the economy of
Cameroun.
He stated that the cement customers in the country are anxious to buy
Dangote cement because the Dangote 3X 42.5grade would be the first in the
market that is produced locally.
“Everything is set for full production as the test run commenced earlier
in the week. The imported clinker and gypsum is on ground and pozollan
which locally sourced is available. The power house which is one of the
last of the plant facilities to be is almost completed, to bring the plant
to 100% ready.
The run, he stated will enable the regulatory authorities to carry out
independent quality check. “Bodies such as LABO genie and ANOR would be
carrying out check on the quality of the cement.”
It would be recalled that Dangote cement started the construction of the
Cameroun plant in 2012 and has over time employed thousands of artisans
and technicians.
“Today it has over 250 permanent staff. The company has risen above all
challenges during the construction phase and is set to produce 1.5 million
tons per year.
It’s a product all Cameroonians so much await since they will benefit from
the realities of competition that they will henceforth experience after
over 40 years of foreign product dominance.
Dangote Cement is Africa’s leading cement producer with three plants in
Nigeria and plans to expand in 13 other African countries. The Group is a
fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer with production capacity of
20.25 million tonnes in Nigeria and new operations beginning to come on
stream across the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Group plans to have
around 60 million tonnes of production, grinding and import capacity in
Sub-Saharan Africa by 2016.
Dangote Cement’s Obajana plant in Kogi state, Nigeria, is the largest in
Africa with 10.25mta capacity across three lines and a further 3mta
capacity currently being built.
The new 6mta Ibese plant in Ogun state, near the key market of Lagos, was
inaugurated in February 2012. Building is nearing completion on a further
two lines totalling 6mta of capacity.
The Gboko plant in Benue state has 4mta capacity.
Through its recent investments, Dangote Cement has eliminated Nigeria’s
dependence on imported cement and is transforming the nation into an
exporter serving neighbouring countries.
Dangote Cement is investing several billion dollars to build manufacturing
plants and import terminals across Africa. Current plans are for
integrated or grinding plants, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, Liberia,
Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia, as well as Ivory Coast
and Ghana, and import/packing facilities in Ghana and Sierra Leone.