Africa & The Middle East

Chairman of the Lafarge Group, Hussein Mansi, has called for the introduction of a new railway line in Uganda to help boost production and lower the price of cement.

Figures for the final month and final quarter of 2010 reflect strong performance by the cement industry.

Oman’s largest cement producer, Raysut Cement Company, has just acquired UAE’s Pioneer Cement.

Sinoma has won an order from Saudi City Cement Company for phase II of a 5000 tpd clinker production line.

Ciments de Bizerte in Tunisia has awarded a contract to Polysius France for an upgrade of its second production line.

China Sinoma International Engineering’s subsidiary Sinoma (Suzhou) Construction Co., Ltd has signed a contract, worth US$ 112.5 million for a cement plant in Iraq.

Dangote is to build a new 1.5 million tpa cement plant in Zambia.

Lafarge is waiting on the outcome of a feasibility study before deciding whether to expand its operations in Zimbabwe by building a new cement plant.

Ghana Cement is to expand the capacities of its plants at Takoradi and Tema

Africa’s biggest producer of building materials is reported to be looking to raise US$5 billion in a London sale of global depositary receipts.

Cemena Holding Company has signed an agreement with Sinoma CBMI Construction Company Ltd to construct a cement plant in Syria.

A recent report by Frost & Sullivan indicates that a lack of infrastructure within Sub-Saharan Africa economies has continued to hamper economic growth and hinder the continent’s drive to be globally competitive and eradicate poverty. However, change is on the way.

Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to achieve economic growth of about 4% this year and 4.5% in 2011. As a recently published influential report states, “Better political and macroeconomic stability, a strengthened political commitment to private sector growth, and increased investment in infrastructure and education has made the growth possible”.

IFC has invested €80 million in the equity of Alexandria Portland Cement Company (APCC) to support the company’s expansion plans.

ABB has successfully installed and commissioned a SpectraFlow raw material online analyser in Oman to optimise raw material quality.