A senior officer in the Tanzania government has said last week that the country will seek to double production of cement in the next coming few years in order to satisfy the increasing demand of the product by the construction sector. Deputy Trade Minister Janet Mbene has said that the country has planned to set up seven new factories, but did not give the timeline for construction. The new factories are expected to boost the production capacity in the country.
Last year, Tanzania recorded a 18.9% increase in cement output (3 million tones). The country expects to have cement production rise to 6 million as a result. The country is planning to raise the output with suplus being exported.
Of the seven factories under construction in the country is the Dangote’s 3-million tonne capacity plant according to Mbene. A number of other cement makers are operating in the country, including Tanzania Portland Cement – whose 69.3% of shares belong to Germany’s Heidelberg Cement AG; Tanga Cement and Mbeya Cement.
Africa has been, as a whole, experiencing an increase in cement demand due to expansion of construction sector as governments rolled out massive and aggressive infrastructure programs, and the growth of middle level class that pushed high the demand for housing – causing more investors to venture in the same.
