Displaying items by tag: BUA Cement

For those not following the news in Nigeria, a nationwide row has broken out about the cost of cement in the country. Two of the three main local producers have been forced to publicly defend their pricing. Alongside this, the Senate of Nigeria has implored the federal government to encourage further local investment in cement production with the goal of keeping the end price down.

The current debacle started to take form in the autumn of 2020 when the price of cement leapt up by 35%. Builders and those immediately affected started complaining then but the argument really heated up in April 2021 when the local press started comparing the price of cement in Nigeria unfavourably against neighbouring countries. Dangote Cement, one of Africa’s largest cement producing companies and a Nigerian-based one at that, immediately defended itself by pointing out that its ex-factory price was the same or lower than in other African countries. It added that it could not control the price of cement between its factory and the end-consumer with dealers and middlemen benefiting from the gap. A week later the Senate of Nigeria intervened with its members discussing the issue in relation to a bill intended to liberalise the sector. This week, BUA Cement said publicly that it had no plans to raise the ex-factory price of its cement at the present time or in the future, “…barring any material, unforeseen circumstances.”

The roots of the current crisis go back to the mid-2010s when Nigeria declared itself ‘self-sufficient’ in cement after building up its domestic production capacity. At the same time it discouraged imports and embraced exports. Today, the country’s cement production capacity is around 49Mt/yr and annual demand is around 21Mt. This self-sufficiency path reached one milestone for Dangote Cement in 2020 with clinker exports starting from its Apapa terminal and the commissioning of its Onne Export Terminal in Port Harcourt. Under the old narrative for the sector this was a moment for congratulation. Suddenly though, instead of being seen as the saviour of the industry, members of the legislature were asking whether it was a good thing for Dangote Cement to hold a 60% share of the local market with most of the rest shared between Lafarge Africa and BUA Cement.

The price row has seen Dangote Cement promptly suspend exports from those new terminals. It also said it had reactivated its 4.5Mt/yr Gboko plant in Benue State, which was reportedly mothballed in 2018. It is worth noting here that the Gboko plant was part of that national capacity total above despite being mothballed until fairly recently. Aside from the middleman argument, the producer said that its production costs had risen over the past 15 months due to negative currency effects but that it hadn’t increased its ex-factory prices since December 2019.

A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria in the north-east of the country revealed all sorts of speculation about why the price was so high but few facts. Some of the opinions expressed included: the coronavirus outbreak; low production rates at the plants; market middlemen; and transport costs. What is clearer is that the country’s cement production capacity is more than double that of its demand. On paper at least the nation should be able to satisfy its own needs and then export the same again with plenty spare. Yet somehow this isn’t happening. If the government really believes in self-sufficiency it may be time to take another look at the cement sector, the challenges it faces and the needs of the end consumers.

Nigeria: BUA Cement has announced that it will commission the second production line at its Kalambiana cement plant in Sokoto state in July 2021. The Daily Independent newspaper has reported that the upgrade will bring the plant’s cement production capacity to 3Mt/yr. The group intends for the plant to serve the growing domestic cement demand and to stabilise prices.

Nigeria: BUA Cement recorded full-year net sales of US$550m in 2020, up by 20% year-on-year from US$460m in 2019. Profit after income taxes was US$185m, up by 16% from US$159m.

In December 2020, Global Cement reported that the company planned to bring three integrated cement plant projects with a total capacity of 9Mt/yr to fruition by the end of 2022. This would bring its installed capacity to 20Mt/yr.

Nigeria: BUA Cement and Dangote have signed an agreement with the government to supply cement at a discounted rate for the construction of 300,000 homes under the government’s Mass Housing Programme, according to The Sun newspaper.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said that the producers have agreed to provide cement for this project at a ‘considerable’ discount, which he described as ‘very helpful.’ He added, “Also important is the job creation aspect of it. You have young men and women who are builders, architects and civil engineers working on this project. We are hoping that a lot of the other building materials will be made locally.”

Nigeria: BUA Cement has successfully concluded a US$290m Series 1 fixed-rate senior unsecured bond issue. The Punch newspaper has reported that the company utilised US$290m of its US$505m maiden bond issue in line with regulatory guidelines. It was nonetheless oversubscribed by nearly US$350m. The group said that it will apply to dual-list the bond on the relevant exchanges, subject to necessary approvals.

Nigeria: China-based Sinoma CBMI Construction has signed an agreement with BUA Cement to build three 3Mt/yr plants in Adamawa, Edo and Sokoto states respectively. When completed by the end of 2022, the projects will bring the producer’s installed capacity to 20Mt/yr, according to the Vanguard newspaper.

The deal is Nigeria’s largest ever single contract for the construction of cement plants. the project will cost US$1.05bn.

Nigeria: BUA Cement has donated six transformer units with a total capacity of 400kW to Okpella Community in Edo State. The Daily Independent newspaper has reported that the company’s aim is to improve local access to electricity.

Managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Yusuf Binji said, “Our commitment to sustainability, sustainable development goals and sustainable business practices will remain critical to our business at BUA Cement. We will keep pursuing an inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable environment. corporate social responsibility is how we colour the lives of those around us.”

Nigeria: Dangote Cement and Bua Cement have been allowed to export goods by land following a closure of land borders in mid 2019 due to smuggling. The government has granted permission for Dangote Cement to export its products to Niger and Togo, according to the Business Live newspaper. Bua Group has also received approval. However, Lafarge Africa has reportedly not yet received permission.

Nigeria: BUA Cement has appointed Jacques Piekarski as its chief financial officer (CFO).

Piekarski holds over 26 years of experience in finance with executive level roles in cement, trading, mining and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Prior to joining BUA Cement, he was Group CFO for TGI Group Nigeria, a food and agricultural conglomerate, and he held the same role at Flour Mills of Nigeria. His knowledge of the cement industry comes from working as the CFO for Holcim in Egypt with a joint venture with the Orascom Group.

A Swiss and French National, Piekarski was born in Switzerland. He is a graduate from the Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland and holds an MBA from the Robert Kennedy College in Zurich, Switzerland.

Nigeria: BUA Cement has broken ground at the site of its upcoming 3.0Mt/yr-capacity integrated cement plant in Guyuk, Adamawa State. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri proposed nearby Yola as the site for a second BUA Cement plant in the state, which he said would “further diversify the economy away from sole reliance on petroleum products.”

The company is currently building a 50MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant in Lamurde, Adamawa State.