Zambia: Zambia's state investment firm ZCCM Investments Holdings has partnered with China-based ​Wonderful Group to restore a ‌lime and cement production facility in the Copperbelt region. ZCCM-IH and Wonderful Group will develop and operate the integrated lime ​and cement plant through a new ​joint venture vehicle called Ndola Lime. The joint ⁠venture will reportedly be backed by a US$30m ​investment from Wonderful Group, according to Reuters. The 95-year-old plant previously faced operational ​difficulties, which led to insolvency in ​2018. Its revival will be implemented in three phases, with ‌the ⁠first phase focused on the construction and commissioning of a lime production plant with a capacity of 600t/day. The second phase will deliver ​either a cement plant ⁠or a second lime production plant, ZCCM-IH said, and the third phase will ​be further expansion based on market conditions. Wonderful ​Group ⁠will hold 55% of Ndola Lime through a US$25m equity contribution and a US$5m shareholder loan. ZCCM-IH will hold ⁠the ​remaining 45% interest via the ​contribution of operating assets and the write-off of US$9.8m of historic debt.

Nepal: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Gauri Kumari Yadav inspected the Hetauda Cement Industry plant on 24 May 2026. The minister visited the state-owned cement plant to assess its condition and also talked to the management and employees regarding the repeated shutdowns the plant has faced over the years.

Minister Yadav said it was ‘extremely unfortunate’ that a government-owned cement plant had remained closed, adding that the government was preparing to bring all closed plants back into operation. “We are studying how the Hetauda Cement Industry can be operated regularly,” Yadav said. “It is very unfortunate that many private cement industries are operating regularly while a government-owned cement industry remains closed. When a plant shuts down, not only are jobs lost, but the country’s economy is also affected. Therefore, the government wants to operate the cement industry by any means possible, and cooperation from all sides is necessary.”

Acting general manager of Hetauda Cement Industry Shivanarayan Sah said the plant had been shut down due to outdated and deteriorating machinery, and the inability to supply raw materials because of financial constraints. He said that the plant had continued limited cement production through periodic maintenance of the machinery, but operations had to be halted recently after raw material supplies stopped. Sah also said that due to financial difficulties, employees had not received salaries for the past 11 months and electricity bills still remained unpaid.

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement has reported a rise in revenue of 20% to US$101m for the year ending 31 December 2025, while earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased to US$11.8m from US$7.5m. Net profit climbed to US$3.2m from US$1.0m in 2024. Sales volumes increased by 21% to around 2.07Mt, while Steppe maintained a 14% market share. The wider Kazakh cement market grew by more than 20% to exceed 14Mt, supported by residential construction, infrastructure projects and urbanisation.

The company said that operational improvements on Line 6 helped to increase clinker production to 1.63Mt from 1.47Mt. The board at Steppe Cement has also approved a US$30m expansion project to raise clinker capacity from 3000t/day to 4500t/day. The investment is expected to support future cement production capacity of around 2.5Mt/yr, with completion targeted for summer 2027. Steppe said the project includes a new cooler, raw mill, riser duct rebuild, new cyclones and kiln modifications, and is expected to reduce coal and electricity consumption per tonne.

Philippines: Cement manufacturers are no longer expecting demand growth in 2026, as slower government infrastructure spending continues to weigh on construction activity, according to the Business Inquirer. Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CEMAP) president Reinier Dizon said the industry had yet to see a meaningful increase in demand, even after the peak construction season from February to April. Dizon said that government infrastructure spending, which accounts for about 40% of total cement demand, remained ‘sluggish.’ Although CEMAP has yet to complete its full assessment of industry demand for 2026, Dizon said that the market would likely end the year with a single-digit contraction.