21 August 2025

Zimbabwe: The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has ordered WIH-Zim Cement, a joint venture between West International Holding and Labenmon Investments, to stop construction of its Magunje cement plant after inspectors found violations of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conditions, including failure to compensate displaced households, according to Bulawayo 24 News. The EMA fined the company US$5000 and issued an enforcement order halting all activity until ‘EIA certificate conditions are adhered to.’

An inspection on 16 July 2025 revealed that construction continued despite High Court directives and community complaints. At least 20 households have reportedly lost farmland to a diversion road, while one homestead lies within the project boundary. Inspectors reported that WIH-Zim had already cleared 10 hectares of land and begun building staff quarters for 600 workers without meeting relocation requirements. The EMA also reportedly found that the company had failed to obtain a Communal Lands Occupation Certificate from Hurungwe Rural District Council. The EMA said “Continuous monitoring of the project is essential as this is a sensitive high-impact project,” warning that construction cannot resume until all affected families are compensated and relocated.

Local press reported in May 2025 that the cement plant was ‘progressing well,’ with the completion of site levelling and connection to the national power grid established and 60 local people already employed.

China: Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that cement production in July 2025 reached 146Mt, down by 6% year-on-year and the lowest July level since 2009, according to Bloomberg. Output from January to July 2025 was 958Mt, representing a 4.5% year-on-year decline. The drop was attributed to the ongoing real estate crisis, weak infrastructure activity, and weather disruptions from heatwaves and storms. Bloomberg said that further declines are likely as producers shrink capacity to better align with demand.

Iran: Domestic cement demand fell by 8% year-on-year to 4.69Mt in July 2025, according to the Iran Cement Association. Cement output dropped by 11% year-on-year to 4.71Mt, while clinker production rose by 23% year-on-year to 6.31Mt. Cement exports grew by 1.4% during the period to 0.5Mt, but clinker exports declined by 11% to 0.5Mt.

In the first seven months of 2025, cement consumption fell by 7.3% to 34.6Mt from 37.3Mt in 2024. Cement output declined by 3.7% year-on-year to 37.8Mt, while clinker production was stable at 43.0Mt. Cement exports rose by 4.6% year-on-year to 3.37Mt, but clinker exports dropped by 21% to 3.53Mt from 4.45Mt.

The association attributed the fall in demand to a sluggish real estate market and difficult economic conditions. The government’s limits on cement production to address power shortages has also impacted production levels.

India: UltraTech Cement will offload a 6.49% stake in India Cements through an open market sale, following approval by its committee of directors and officers. The producer acquired control of India Cements in July 2024. The company did not disclose the value of the planned sale.