Displaying items by tag: Ebonyi

Nigeria: Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has presented a proposed US$604m budget for 2026, including plans to construct a US$102m state-owned cement plant.

Nwifuru said most of the spending would target infrastructure and economic growth projects. He attributed the rise from previous annual budgets, averaging about US$60m, to expanded fiscal space following the removal of the federal fuel subsidy.

The cement plant, conceived as a successor to the defunct NIGERCEM, will be financed through a US$102m self-repaying loan. “We agreed in council that this project will borrow money to fund itself from beginning to end. And this project will generate the same money to repay the loan,” Nwifuru said.

Geological assessments are currently underway to determine the most viable location with adequate limestone reserves.

Nigeria: David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi state, has approved plans to set-up the Ebonyi Cement plant (Ebocem) at Ogboto in Ishielu. The local government will hold a 10% stake in the project, according to the Nigerian Tribune newspaper.

Nigeria: The Methodist Church of Nigeria has called on the local government to support the reopening of the Nkalagu Cement plant. The Diocese of Onitsha wants the unit restored so it can create local jobs, according to the Vanguard newspaper. The plant was the first in Nigeria when it opened in 1954. It later closed in 2003 after it was privatised. The Ebonyi state government signed a memorandum of understanding with Ibeto Group in 2016 to revive the plant.