Business
Aliko Dangote draws Nigeria, France into ‘cement war’ in Senegal
Welcomed with open arms
It is not the first time that the controversial project has run into problems. Senegalese courts ruled during construction that it encroached on a sacred forest owned by the descendants of Cheikh Amadou Bamba, a Sufi Muslim mystic and religious leader who was revered by millions of Senegalese. Construction was only allowed to recommence when Dangote offered the family a persuasive $12.6 million in compensation.
Villagers in Galene, the tiny settlement on the doorstep of the cement works 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Dakar, say it has been installed on land once used by thousands of farmers and their animals. “We fear that it is going to stop us growing and raising our animals,” said Oumy Ba, the village chief. Community leader Bougouma Thiongane said however that the project had been “welcomed with open arms”. Galane and the surrounding villages have no electricity or tap water and Dangote promised to change that, while also raising employment prospects for every young person in the area, Thiongane said.
The plant, one of the largest in Africa, will be ready to begin operating “within 90 days”, Aramine Mbacke, the CEO of Dangote Senegal, told Financial Afrik magazine earlier this month. It will produce three million tonnes of cement annually, three-fifths of which will go onto the local market, he said.
The operation is being launched amid increased competition between Sococim, which has a 65 percent market share, and Ciments du Sahel, which makes up the rest. “Both plants already have a combined capacity of six million tonnes for a market of two million tonnes. They produce below capacity. That explains the reason for this war,” an official from the Ministry of Mines said. “In the sub-region, everyone wants to make cement,” he added. The management of Dangote Senegal declined to comment.
Copyright New Vision 2014
