Dangote Cement plc will next week Thursday commission its 2.5 million mtpa cement plant in Ethiopia as the company inches towards the 40 million mtpa mark and total production capacity globally before the end of 2015, in furtherance of its expansion plan in Africa.
Ethiopia Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegne is expected to perform the opening ceremony at an event that will be graced by top members of Nigeria business community.
According to a statement from Dangote Group, the Ethiopians are excited about the timely completion of the project and the economic prospects of having such a company in the country.
The Dangote Cement plant, said to be the single largest investment by an African, will be the fifth in the series of the offshore plants of the company that have rolled out product within the last one year in the continent, coming after Senegal, Cameroon, South Africa and Zambia.
The cement plants are in various stages of construction in nine other countries, as the company is investing $5 billion to build an African cement empire, with factories in 14 countries.
In March this year, its $300 million green-field cement plant rolled out product in Senegal, with the Senegalese government promising to give Dangote Cement the required assistance to perform maximally as its entry has stir up economic activities.
In that occasion, Katyen Jackden, Nigerian ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, said “I am very proud of what Dangote is doing by promoting intra-African investments, promoting regional development, industrialisation and cohesion among African nations with his investments. We need more Africans like Dangote to be at the forefront of promoting intra-African investments.”
According to her, Dangote Cement has done Nigeria proud with the commencement of production and she was happy that Dangite Cement has been instantly accepted in the market because of its quality.
Also, Ousmane Cisse, Senegal’s director of mines, praised Aliko Dangote, chairman, Dangote Cement, for his doggedness and seing the construction through despite various setbacks.
“Dangote Cement is a great project for the country and the consumers. We expect that the investments will not only make high quality cement available to our people, it will increase the purchasing power of consumers to help the country develop more and more.
“As a government, we look forward to get more revenue from the sector, and for our local communities surrounding the plant, more jobs that will reduce poverty and generate more upstream and downstream activities. Our SMEs will be developed and the multiplier effects on our industries, the government and to all stakeholders will be beneficial,” he said.
