As part of his desire to create new jobs and deepen backward integration in cement production, Dangote Group has begun preliminary activities in the building of new cement plants in two Nigerian communities of Okpella, Edo state and Itori, Ogun state.
Explaining over the weekend, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Projects and Portfolio Management, Devakumar Edwin revealed to Business Hilights that sustainability measures have are already in place through the completion of the compulsory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which statutorily deals on the protection of resources and people of the host communities.
Edwin averred that the forthcoming plants are expected to add 12MMT per annum (mmtpa) to the company’s current local output of 31.25mmtpa, thus pushing Dangote Cement’s total national output to 41.25mmtpa.
It would be recalled that Nigeria’s needed yearly quantity as at last year was about 30mmtpa, but Dangote Cement already makes up over 31.25mmtpa while others including Lafarge Africa and BUA Group contribute over 15mmtpa, thus catapulting total cement production capacity to close to 50mmtpa which defines self sufficiency after all.
According to Edwin, whereas the Okpella plant will have two cement lines which will churn out 3mmtpa each, the Itori plant will deliver approximately 3mmtpa from two production lines. Both plants are expected to come on stream within the next three years.
Among the key reasons considered in additional expansion drive is to create more jobs, effect aggregate spread nationwide by way of reducing haulage cost component and export.
