Dangote Group to set up $4 million cement plant in Congo

(Reuters) – Nigerian cement manufacturer Dangote will spend US$ 4 million to build a cement plant in Congo Republic, the latest in a string of projects announced by the company.

“This plant will have an initial capacity of around 1.5 million tonnes per year. But it will be able to produce 2.5 million tonnes if demand grows,” said Dangote owner Aliko Dangote at a ceremony attended by President Denis Sassou N’Guesso.

Dangote has also recently announced the construction of cement plants in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Zambia, as the company taps into an African building boom.

Congo currently has one cement plant operated by Societe Nouvelle des Ciments du Congo, but that does not produce enough to meet domestic demand. Dangote said the new plant would allow Congo to become a regional exporter.

Congo is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s top crude oil producers, but N’Guesso has said the economy needs to diversify into other sectors as fields mature.