Dangote Cement set to invest in Niger, while Lafarge will expand in Nigeria

Dangote Cement is set to spend US$350 million on a new cement plant in Niger, according to a Reuters report. Aliko Dangote met with the country’s president this week and afterwards told journalists: “I announced to the head of state my intention to build a cement plant worth US$350 million which will produce 1.5 million tonnes (annually)”. He added that the realisation of the project would create 6000 – 7000 jobs.

The new plant is part of Dangote’s expansion across Africa, including new cement plants in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa and Kenya. Niger’s domestic cement production capacity is very small at just 40 000 tpa from a cement plant built in 1964. A 540 000 tpa cement plant is under construction.

Dangote’s plant will have its own power plant, with any surplus to be sent back to the grid. Niger’s power supply is inherently unreliable.

Expansion in Nigeria

Meanwhile, back in Dangote’s home country of Nigeria, Lafarge Wapco Cement Nigeria Plc has announced plans to boost cement production capacity, though specifics of the expansion are yet to be revealed. The company’s Managing Director and CEO, Joseph Hudson, has said that they believe Nigerian market demand could grow to 50 million tpa from the current 30 million tpa within just a few years and the company wants to be ready. Lafarge currently has a capacity of 8.5 million tpa in Nigeria, making it the second largest cement producer in the country after Dangote Cement.

Edited from various sources by Katherine Guenioui