Dangote to Construct 9 Million Ton-Capacity Cement Plants in Edo

Dangote Cement Plc has announced the commencement of construction of new cement plants in two communities in the country.

The new plants are expected to add 9million metric tonnes per annum to the company’s current local cement output of 29.25 million metric tonnes, bringing it to a total of 38.25 million metric tonnes per annum.

The company stated that the communities in which it is setting up the new plants are Okpella in the northern part of Edo State, South-south of Nigeria with a three million per annum plant and another six million per annum capacity plants in Itori in Ogun State, South-west of the country.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, who made the announcement in Lagos, explained that the Okpella plant will be made up of one line and will produce a total of 3 million metric tonnes per annum, and the Itori plant which will deliver approximately 6 million tonnes per annum from two procution lines. Both plants are expected to come on stream within the next three years.

Devakumar said the move by the company was to help expand the spread of the company’s manufacturing outfits, thereby reducing the transportation cost component of their operations.

He added that the new investments will further lower cost of production; bring about future reduction of the price of cement and also to generate employment opportunities for the youths of host communities.

Also speaking at the event, the Group Managing Director, Cement, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Onne Vander Weijde, said the demand for cement was still high considering the level of population growth in Nigeria, saying that Nigeria’s per capita consumption of the building material which is just above 100kg per capita is relatively low, indicating a massive growth potential.

He said with the capacity of the plants in Nigeria, the company can supply the entire western and central Africa region, maintaining that currently, Dangote cement is exporting cement to Niger, Ghana, Togo with plans to move up to the Ivory Coast.

According to him, the investments would create in excess of 5000 jobs at the beginning stage, noting that logistics and construction of the plants would also provide more employment opportunities indirectly to surpass that amount.