Kenya: An attempt by the East African Portland Cement (EAPCC) to sell some of its land has been threatened by local residents. 5000 local residents say that the disputed land belongs to them, according to the Standard newspaper. They hold a title deed to the land and a court halted construction work on the site in February 2019. The residents also claim that they have been subject to excessive force by the police.

The EAPCC is selling land in a government-backed arrangement to try and clear its debts after it made a loss in 2018. The land has been set aside for Kenya Railways to build a rail container terminal. The railway operator has already made a US$12m down payment on the property. The cement producer maintains that it owns the land. However, the government has agreed to negotiate with the protestors.

Ghana: Solomon Namliit Boar, the regional minister-designate for the newly created North East Region, says that negotiations are on-going for a new cement factory to be built at Gbandaa in the Nalerigu Municipality. The project is intended to make use of a 20Mm3 limestone deposit in the area, according to the Daily Guide newspaper. The project has remained in the planning stage for some time with Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamadu Bawumia assuring local residents in 2017 that the government would find investors.

Senegal: Momar Ndao, the president of the Consumer Association of Senegal, has asked the government to place controls on the price of cement. His comments followed an increase in the price of cement set by local producers, according to the Senegalese News Agency. He proposed that a technical commission study the situation and make recommendations to the National Consumer Council.

Panama: The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) is planning to introduce regulations testing cement imports for Hexavalent chromium (chromium VI). Edgar Arias, Director of Standards and Industrial Technology of the MICI, said at a trade forum that the new rules had been agreed, according to La Estrella de Panamá newspaper. At present cement is tested at the discretion of the importer. Under the new regulations cement will be tested before it leaves its country of origin, when it arrives in Panama and for a third time at the point of sale at the discretion of the authorities.

Panama imports 10,000 – 20,000t/month of cement from countries including China, Turkey and Vietnam. Around 20 importers handle the market. Import tax on cement ranges from 10 – 20% depending on the point of origin.