RWANDA – Prime Cement has inaugurated a US$40M factory in Musanze, in the Northern Province of Rwanda to boost commercial production of cement and bridge the cement supply gap.
Rolf Anttila, Prime Cement’s general manager, said that the construction projects which are moving slowly due to the cement deficit, can now accelerate.
As reported in the Rwanda New Times newspaper, the factory has received certification by Rwanda Standards Bureau and its cement is available in most of the hardware stores across Rwanda and is ready to be delivered to construction sites.
The source further added that the company is planning to expand from the current 600,000 tons per year to 1,200,000 tonnes per year in the coming years at the $40M facility.
As Rwanda is seeing a boom in construction activities, the new plant aims to satisfy the increasing cement demand in the country as well as to export to the regional marketplaces.
The cement plant is owned by Milbridge Holding, a group of companies involved in manufacturing and distribution of construction materials in Angola, the UAE, Rwanda and South Africa.
It employs 110 workers directly.
Regional cement manufacturers are also fighting for a share of the Rwandan market at a time when current market leaders are struggling to stay afloat.
Rwanda imports 46 per cent of its cement to meet the growing demand offering an opportunity to producers seeking to extend their regional footprint.
“The national cement demand has reached 50,000 tonnes per month,” said Annette Karenzi, director-general of industries and entrepreneurship development in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
“At least 23,000 tonnes are imported while Cimerwa produces 27,000 tonnes,” she added. Cimerwa Cement is majority owned by Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC).
Tanzania’s Dangote Cement, Lake Cement, manufacturers of the Nyathi brand and Tanga Cement, the producer of Simba brand, are some of the regional players fighting it out with Uganda’s Hima for the Rwandan market.
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