Dangote Group set to deliver the second cement plant in Cameroon. The plant will have the capacity to produce of 1.5million metric tonnes of cement a year. Not so long ago, the group commissioned its first cement plant in Douala with an equal capacity production of 1.5million tonnes per year.
Aliko Dangote, the Dangote group owner, held a meeting with Philemon Yang the Cameroon’s Prime Minister in Yaounde, where he revealed his intensions of erecting a second cement factory in the country particularly in Yaounde at a cost of US$150m.
The multi-million dollar project is expected to double the company’s total cement output to stand at 3million metric tonnes per year in Cameroon. However, the group is currently progressing with the contract signing procedure for the construction of the plant following high cement demand by huge investments particularly the infrastructure sector in the country and the neighbouring countries.
Currently, 220 trucks and trailers have already been delivered in the country to handle the transport issues by using the heavy commercials to deliver their cement product to their rural consumers as well as attaining stable cement prices in the country. Moreover, about 5,000 direct or indirect job opportunities will be created for the Cameroonians.
It is also expected that, once the project is complete and in full operation, Cameroon will be in a position to export cement to its neighbouring countries. Besides the exporting opportunity, the government is as well urged to construct its roads using the local cement production, thanks to the Dangote group, the country will not lack cement.
Recently, Dangote group commissioned a 2.5million metric tonnes a year cement plant worth US$500m in Ethiopia due to cement shortage as the country’s construction market hiked. However, the project provided open job opportunities to about 7,000 Ethiopians.
Aliko Dangote has made known his plans of constructing more cement plants in Africa, with an aim to attain an annual production of 62 MT by 2017 compare to the current Dangote Cement’s production units which is at 40 MT annually. The group also has factories across Africa, including Tanzania and Zambia.