Ghana: The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare convened an emergency meeting with cement manufacturers over port congestion that has left clinker shipments stranded for up to two or three weeks, according to local press. Manufacturers said vessels are waiting 13–20 days to berth, increasing demurrage costs that could potentially be passed on to consumers if not addressed. Manufacturers appealed for temporary access to additional berths and handling of non-dust producing raw materials, such as gypsum and slag, at alternative berths.

Minister for Transport Joseph Bukari Nikpe said “Once the dredging is completed, expected by the end of June 2026, the port will be able to handle vessels with capacities of over 20,000t, compared to the current 8000t capacity,” and added that works around Berth 14 will complete within one to two weeks.

Belgium: Heidelberg Materials Benelux has begun production of the initial batches of Q-CEM, its calcined clay-based cement, at its cement grinding plant in Ghent, according to a social media post. It said that Q-CEM offers performance comparable to Portland cement while reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 25% compared to traditional clinker-based cement.

The company said that it has the first industrial-scale calcined clay cement production capacity on the Benelux market, with a potential of up to 1Mt/yr, with clay sourced within the Benelux region. It said the introduction of Q-CEM will reduce the carbon footprint of its entire product range by approximately 10%.

Argentina: Cement despatches reached 792,873t in January 2026, down by 6% year-on-year from 840,115t in January 2025 but up by 5% month-on-month from 758,875t in December 2025. Domestic despatches were 788,173t and exports were 4699t. Cement consumption reached 788,173t in January 2026, down by 5% year-on-year from 831,967t in January 2025 and up by 4% month-on-month from 755,542t in December 2025.

US: The Ste Genevieve plant in Missouri has achieved 10 years without a lost-time accident, according to plant manager Alan Greer via social media. The plant is owned by Amrize, Holcim’s US spinoff, and is the largest in North America, beginning operations in 2009. In December 2025, Amrize announced an expansion that will increase the plant’s capacity by 0.6Mt to 5Mt/yr.