Displaying items by tag: Middle East and Africa

Kenya: Bamburi Cement has signed a US$250m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Sinoma CBMI to build a new 1.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Matuga, Kwale County. The project is part of Bamburi’s strategy to more than double its clinker production from 1Mt/yr to 2.6Mt/yr and its cement capacity from 1.8Mt/yr to 4Mt/yr. The plant will feature a six-stage precalciner system and integrate technology to cut its emissions, including the use of alternative fuels such as coconut husks, cashew shells and municipal solid waste.

“The new clinker line will greatly reduce reliance on imported clinker, improving quality production consistency and securing supply for the domestic market,” said Bamburi Cement CEO Mohit Kapoor at the signing ceremony, which was also attended by President William Ruto. Kapoor added that the investment would save foreign exchange resources, stabilise prices and support rising demand from national infrastructure projects and private sector development.

The Gambia: The managing director of Jah Oil, Momodou Hydara, has attributed the ongoing cement shortage in the country to external constraints, including the shallow channel at the Port of Banjul and weather-related disruptions to operations. Hydara said that large vessels cannot dock at the port, and that smaller boats are facing delays due to adverse weather conditions. The shortage has disrupted construction activity and increased retail prices of cement across the country. The shortage has also been attributed to the government's April 2024 decision to increase import tariffs on bagged cement from Senegal.

Hydara said that Jah Oil has sufficient capacity to meet domestic demand. “As we speak, we have two ships at sea carrying 55,000t and 59,500t of cement each, and another carrying 55,000t en route to Banjul,” he said. The two ships contain approximately three million bags of cement, which would cover the monthly consumption of 30,000t. To ease pressure on port operations, Jah Oil has acquired two seagoing vessels, each with a 4000t capacity, to help offload cement from larger ships offshore.

Jah Oil is investing in its production capacity, with a new plant in Farafenni producing 100,000 bags per day, while another in Bafuloto, which can produce 200,000 bags per day, is nearing completion.

Global: Cement and clinker shipments rose by 13% year-on-year between January and November 2025, supported by a 39% increase in deliveries to Africa’s Atlantic coast, according to World Cargo News. BIMCO shipping analysis manager Filipe Gouveia attributed the growth to ‘strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation and significant infrastructure development’ across the region, which is largely import-dependent due to limited domestic clinker production capacity.

“Clinker capacity is particularly limited; although grinding facilities exist, manufacturers still rely on imported clinker, sustaining bulk shipments,” said Gouveia.

Beyond Africa, cement exports increased across East and Southeast Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America, while clinker volumes remained broadly stable. Asian producers, particularly China and Vietnam, have boosted low-priced exports amid overcapacity and weak demand.

“Chinese seaborne exports have more than doubled, up by 135% year-on-year, as domestic construction activity declines amid the country’s property crisis,” said Gouveia. “Vietnamese exports have grown by 16% year-on-year, maintaining Vietnam’s position as the world’s largest exporter with a 27% share of global shipments.”

The US, the world’s largest importer, saw only a 3% rise in shipments, despite recent tariff hikes. Gouveia said that imports from Vietnam and Türkiye have risen by 27% and 14% respectively, despite tariff increases, noting that US clinker production fell by 7% year-on-year from January-July 2025. Gouveia concluded that the global outlook for cement and clinker shipments remains positive, with African demand and intense price competition supporting trade, but cautioned that US building permits fell by 5% year-on-year between January-August 2025, indicating that US demand could slow in the short term.

Egypt: A total of 243,000t of imported coal is set to be received at Egyptian ports during the week of 12 December 2025 for use by cement companies, according to data from the Maritime Transport Sector. East Port Said will receive 150,000t of coal aboard the Seacon Oceania for the National Cement Company of Beni Suef. Alexandria Port will receive 57,800t of coal for El Sewedy Cement, while Dekheila Port is scheduled to receive 55,000t of petcoke from Spain for Assiut Cement.

The shipments reportedly support a broader strategy to increase domestic cement production and boost exports. The first shipment of 20,000t of calcined petcoke was exported through Adabiya Port, with an export value of US$2m.

Türkiye: Titan has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of Traçim Çimento, which operates a 2.5Mt/yr integrated cement plant near Istanbul. The plant supplies the local market and can export to neighbouring countries and the US. A joint solar power project with the sellers is also planned.

The deal strengthens Titan’s operations in western Türkiye, where it already owns a grinding plant and pozzolana quarry in the Marmara region. It also complements the group’s export network to the US. The purchase price is approximately US$190m. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.

Zimbabwe: Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said that national cement supplies will significantly improve following the US$20m rehabilitation and restart of Khayah Cement’s clinker kiln, which resumed operations in early December 2025 after 26 months of inactivity. He said the resumption is a major intervention to meet national cement demand, which had been disrupted by a combination of issues including a breakdown at PPC’s Harare plant, scheduled maintenance at Sino Cement in Kwekwe, and delays at the border for clinker imports coming from Zambia. The Minister warned that while import permits were initially issued to stabilise prices, abuse of the system through unjustified price increases would not be tolerated and permits would not be renewed.

While PPC has returned to full production, clinker shortages persist, with two newly opened grinding plants in Hwange and Mashonaland West already closed due to lack of clinker. Ndlovu confirmed that discussions are underway to build a new grinding plant as a national strategic investment, which he said would cost between US$150m and US$200m.

Iran: Cement output fell by 10% year-on-year to 31.7Mt in the first half of 1403 (21 March – 22 September 2025), down from 35.1Mt, according to Ali Akbar Alvandian, secretary of the Cement Industry Association. He attributed the decline to weaker domestic demand and energy constraints.

Clinker output also dropped by 10% in the first quarter (21 March – 21 June 2025), recovered in July and August 2025, then declined by 4.5% in September 2025. Cement production in the sixth month (22 August - 21 September) fell to 5.7Mt from 6.4Mt a year earlier.

Exports rose by 7% to 6.9Mt of cement and clinker, while domestic demand fell by about 10%. A nationwide power cut in May 2025 reportedly halted production and temporarily increased prices.

UAE: Holcim and 44.01 have launched a pilot project in Fujairah to mineralise CO₂ captured from cement production, which they say marks the first global initiative to combine carbon capture from a cement plant with in-situ mineralisation. The project aims to directly capture and permanently store 5t/day of CO₂ underground. The pilot is supported by the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation (FNRC) and delivered in collaboration with NT Energies, deploying Shell CANSOLV™ carbon capture technology through the alliance between Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Technip Energies.

44.01 CEO Talal Hasan said “Working with Holcim, FNRC and NT Energies, we are demonstrating a practical and scalable path to decarbonisation that can be replicated worldwide.”Top of Form

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials (Omran) has launched a new product, Pozzolanic Cement 42.5 – CEM II, at its plant in the Sheikh Saeed district of Aleppo.

Director general Mahmoud Fadila said the product is the first industrial product to enter the Syrian market since the area’s liberation, calling it a ‘significant step’ toward restoring production capacity and industrial independence. The new cement product is expected to reduce reliance on lower-quality imports.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Cimenterie Kongo (CIMKO) plans to invest over US$300m to expand its cement production capacity from 1.4Mt/yr to 3Mt/yr by 2027. The joint venture between the Rawji Group and Lucky Cement has operated a plant in Songololo, Kongo-Central province since 2018. The investment responds to growing demand from public and private construction and aims to reduce imports and stabilise prices. According to the Central Bank of the Congo, cement consumption reached 2.55Mt in 2023, while local production totalled 2.3Mt, with the shortfall covered by imports.

Other producers are also expanding. China-based WIH Cement plans to raise its capacity to 2.2Mt/yr by 2027, while the Chinese consortium Avic-Conch has partnered with the Congolese government to restart the National Cement plant in Kimpese, Kongo-Central.

The government banned grey cement and clinker imports in the southeast and southwest in July 2024 to support the domestic industry. However, in October 2025, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku ordered an investigation into illegal imports from Nigeria’s Dangote Cement that were reportedly still entering the country due to rising prices of local cement.