A ceremony attended by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan marked the start of commissioning at Dangote Cement’s Obajana plant yesterday. A 5.25 million tpa line has been added to the plant in Kogi State, bringing its total production capacity to 10.25 million tpa. Plans are underway to construct an additional line at the plant, increasing capacity by a further 3 million tpa.
The expansion forms part of Aliko Dangote’s aim to make Nigeria “the powerhouse of cement in Africa,” as he reportedly stated at yesterday’s ceremony. Dangote is increasing the production capacity of its Ibese plant in Nigeria by 6 million and constructing a number of 3000 tpd plants throughout Africa.
Paul Maxwell-Cook’s Industry Insight looks at Nigeria’s burgeoning cement industry, its expansion plans both domestically and further afield, and the impact of Chinese investment. This article is an abridged version of the full article, which appeared in the May 2012 issue of World Cement.