India: JK Lakshmi Cement (JKLC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Assam government at the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit.

JKLC will invest US$1.2bn over the next seven to eight years to build a greenfield cement plant.

Algeria: Holcim El-Djazaïr has completed its first export shipment from the Port of Béjaïa, sending 50,000t of grey cement to North America. More shipments will follow throughout the year, according to a post by the producer on Linkedin.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement Company (CCC) recorded a net profit of US$37.6m in 2024, slightly up from the previous year, according to Loop News. Hurricane Beryl reportedly caused some disruptions in the second half of the year, but rising construction demand drove a 2% rise in revenues to US$178m.

Looking ahead, CCC remans optimistic about its growth, citing further opportunities from private sector projects, government infrastructure initiatives and Jamaica’s expanding hospitality industry.

Ghana: At a recent stakeholder meeting, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare instructed the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to shut down cement companies that produce substandard products, according to Adom Online.

“Close down companies that are defaulting with substandard products to stop production until they can prove they can consistently produce quality products,” Ofosu-Adjare said.

She added that price should not be used to justify poor quality cement and warned of the risks posed by substandard materials in public buildings like hotels. She pledged to conduct regular inspections of cement plants to enforce compliance.

The Cement Manufacturers Development Committee Regulation L.I. 2480 and the GSA Act 2022 allow the Minister and the GSA to revoke licences and halt the sale of non-compliant cement.