A US$5 million project to upgrade a cement plant in Zimbabwe is on track for completion within the next few months.
The project is a joint venture between Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe and China Building Material Industrial Corporation for Foreign Econo-Technical Cooperation. The plant initially started operating in 2001 with an investment of US$54 million. It employs more than 400 people, about 95% of which are Zimbabweans. As part of the upgrade, the plant has installed a modern bag filter system as well as new packaging lines. The cement mills and kiln lines are being refurbished and a new cement warehouse is being constructed. In addition, 59 under-skilled workers will be replaced (with retrenchment packages) by 32 local skilled workers.
Though Zimbabwe has a lot of scope for increased cement consumption, World Cement recently reported that sluggish activity in the construction sector and difficult economic conditions have resulted in a decrease in demand. In spite of this, a number of high profile players, including Lafarge, Dangote and PPC, are investing in Zimbabwe, whether that be in greenfield projects or the refurbishment of existing plants.
Edited from various sources by Katherine Guenioui