CAMEROON: L’offre de ciment se consolide

Au moins six marques, locales et importées, désormais proposées aux consommateurs.

Ce lundi 6 avril en fin de matinée, un pousseur à l’outil de travail bien chargé convoie sa cargaison d’un pas résolu au lieu dit « Douche » à Akwa.

Il transporte du ciment, activité plutôt commune dans le coin où plusieurs grandes maisons de matériaux de construction ont ouvert des agences. De fait, dans ces parages, celui qui cherche du ciment aura le choix : entreposés dans un angle des installations de la société Cogeni, des sacs de la marque Cimencam continuent de s’écouler. Ils sont vendus à 4 600F le sac de 50kg. Une plaque indique que le ciment Cimaf (dont l’usine de production est basée à Bonabéri) se vend, lui, à 4 400F.

Quant au produit de la cimenterie Dangote, mis sur le marché « depuis environ trois semaines », selon un cadre de l’entreprise, il n’est pas encore arrivé dans cette zone de Douala. La donne pourrait changer rapidement. Selon Serge Tohto, chef d’agence Quifeurou, sa société devrait bientôt la commercialiser. « La cimenterie Dangote vient juste de commencer sa production. Notre entreprise est en négociation avec elle pour l’approvisionnement. Nous serons ravitaillés par notre direction générale, mais nous avons déjà la fiche des prix ». Cette marque nouvelle venue pourrait coûter 4450 F le sac de 50 kg.

Sur le marché, ces trois ciments locaux, désormais en concurrence directe, doivent aussi composer avec le ciment importé. Notamment les marques « Alpha », ciment qui vient de Chine (le sac est vendu à 4500 F, a appris CT hier dans une quincaillerie de la place), « Conch », provenant toujours de l’Empire du Milieu (importé par le groupe Fokou, vendu entre 4 600 F et 4 650 F d’après des informations obtenues par notre reporter) et la marque « Boem », anciennement « As Cimento, que le groupe Afrique Construction fait venir de Turquie depuis de nombreuses années déjà (4 600 F le sac, ou 4 500F si les quantités sont importantes, de l’ordre de plusieurs camions, indique un responsable en agence). Nonobstant de sporadiques tensions ou ruptures de stocks, le ciment est bien de la partie.

Maintenant qu’il peut presque faire la fine bouche, le consommateur pourrait chercher à savoir quel est le meilleur ciment dans tout ça. Un grossiste interrogé se veut prudent : « C’est aux techniciens qui vont utiliser les différentes marques de nous dire quelle est la meilleure », déclare-t-il. Ce serait déjà bien, pour ces diverses marques, d’être régulièrement présentes sur le marché…

CAMEROON: Dangote commences cement production

The management of Dangote Cement Plc has said that its planned consolidation of the African expansion drive remains on course with the commencement of production of its $150m Cameroon plant in Douala.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that the commencement of production in the Cameroonian commercial city came in the wake of the inauguration of another 1.5 million tonnes capacity per annum Senegal plant in Pout in January.

The company had last year listed six plants across five African countries for completion this year.

The plants, according to the President and Chief Executive, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote will add about 13.5 million metric tonnes of cement per annum to the existing capacity upon completion.

The plants are located in Zambia, with 1.5mmtpa capacity; Tanzania, 1.5mmtpa; South Africa, 3mmtpa; Republic of Congo, 1.5mmtpa; Gabon, 1.5mmtpa; and Senegal, 1.5mmtpa

Back home in Nigeria, Dangote Cement ramp up capacity, adding third and fourth production lines to the existing 6mmtpa in Ibese, Ogun State, to bring the total capacity to 12mmtpa, and another 3mmtpa line is currently being added to the Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State.

Dangote told a delegation from Organised Private Sector, who visited him in his office in Lagos, that the 1.5mmtpa plant in Cameroon commenced initial production at one million tonnes per annum before it would be stepped up to the maximum capacity level.

He stated that the Douala plant would revolutionise the cement industry in Cameroon and help stimulate the Western African economy as Dangote Cement would be churning out its 42.5 quality grade of cement at a very competitive price.

Dangote explained that the plant remained the most modern in Cameroon because of the latest technologies used in its construction from Germany, United States and France by the renowned plant engineering firm, Sinoma.

He stated that the company started by importing clinker and that production was being carried out in the most environmental friendly level, pointing out that the dust emission by the plant was lower than the 50mm international standard.

He promised that Dangote Cement as a law abiding organisation would play by the rules of the land and that it would replicate its robust corporate social services in the host community.

ZAMBIA: Ventriglias Welcomed in Return to Zambezi Portland Cement

Employees of the Zambezi Portland Cement (ZPC) happily celebrated the return today of the original owners of the plant, Antonio Ventriglia and Manuela Sebastiani, who have announced that operations at the company shall revert to the status quo following a prolonged period under unlawful management, according to a press conference aired on Muvi TV this evening.

According to Muvi TV, when the Ventriglias arrived to the main gates of the Ndola-based cement plant this morning at 7AM, they were welcomed onto the premises without any resistance or conflict, and re-assumed management of the company without incident.

Earlier reports of armed guards and hired police officers at the plant had raised concerns over the ownership struggle, however the employees and engineers running the plant were happy to see the owners return.

Speaking during the press conference, company Managing Director Daniele Ventriglia said that ZPC would honour its commitments, and that everyone among the current staff would keep their jobs.

The company owners also said they were very happy to have the opportunity to correct the longstanding injustice of the theft of their company, and said that they would continue to vigorously assert their rights to ownership, according to the Muvi TV report.

Lusaka lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, who was also present at the ZPC plant this morning, confirmed that the resumption of operational control of the plant occurred peacefully and smoothly.

Almost two and a half years ago, control of ZPC was allegedly stolen by the local financier Rajan Mahtani following the unusual deportation of the company’s original owners and managing directors. Following these deportations, on December 3, 2012, Mahtani convened an unlawful board meeting whereupon he appointed new management to the company, effectively seizing control of all its finances.

However the tables turned on Mr. Mahtani this past March when the High Court ruled to reverse the deportation orders and reinstate the residency permits to the ZPC company directors. The owners of the company have declared the board meeting of December 3, 2012 to be null and void, returning the company to the status quo legal status pending the convening of the next shareholder meeting.

ZIMBABWE: Imara to facilitate $70m PPC loan

Harare-based Imara Fiduciary has been appointed security agent for PTA Bank to facilitate the extension of a $70 million loan to PPC Zimbabwe. The loan will fund the construction of a new cement factory in Harare.A specialist service provider registered as a bond-holding company, Imara Fiduciary, will hold tangible PPC security on behalf of PTA and other investors. 

“We are delighted by the appointment by PTA Bank for the purposes of facilitating vital infrastructure investment in Zimbabwe. We regard it as an endorsement of both our strategic vision and business model,” said Imara Fiduciary executive director Mr Markus de Klerk. 

“Risk mitigation by Imara Fiduciary is an efficient and cost-effective mechanism for achieving increased peace of mind by lenders and investors while giving the borrower a flexible and scalable security platform with a minimum of delay and red tape.” 

Mr de Klerk said they provided a boots-on-the-ground service that supports funding deployed where it is needed, while timely and accurate reporting to the investor promotes effective working relationships and helps drive the project forward within the envisaged time-frame. 

PTA is the treaty-based Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank. Its mission is to advance the economic development, integration and prosperity of the regions it serves through the extension of development capital and associated services.

“The security and debenture services of Imara Fiduciary add value in an environment where credit and other risks have to be solidly and credibly mitigated to ensure the confidence of financiers, especially international financiers,” said PTA Bank president Mr Admassu Tadesse. 

Mr Tadesse said there is no doubt that Zimbabwe has a great deal of need for financing and investment in its productive and infrastructure sectors and expansion of cement capacity is an important contribution in this respect. 

He said PTA Bank is pleased to have partnered with PPC to co-finance this sizeable investment in Zimbabwe’s private sector and the industrial economy. 

Imara Fiduciary was formally launched in Harare in early 2014 after ground-breaking work by Imara in the Zimbabwe corporate debt market. 

By early this year, Imara had raised more than $50 million in corporate debt.

Imara Fiduciary, a registered bond-holding company, provides banking and debt solutions to corporates, individuals and public-private partnerships while creating a simple, robust entry and exit to the secured corporate debt market, thereby facilitating greater syndicated and direct participation in the Zimbabwe economy by foreign investors. 

Specifically, it provides debenture, security trust and corporate governance services and functions as a non-discretionary agent managing security structures and mandatory prepayment or escrow account arrangements. It is a dedicated, boots-on-the-ground risk mitigator; not a risk underwriter.

MEXICO: Industria del concreto crecerá 8% por reformas estructurales

La industria del concreto en México crecerá de 5.0 a 8.0 por ciento este año por la reactivación económica, producto de las reformas estructurales, estimó el director general de United Bussines Media (UBM), Jaime Salazar Figueroa.

Al anunciar la segunda edición de Concrete Show, que se realizará del 20 al 22 de mayo, en el Centro Banamex de la Ciudad de México, Salazar Figueroa dijo que existe confianza del sector privado constructor que invierte en infraestructura.

Aseguró que los empresarios del sector invertirán en los próximos cinco años entre 150 y 250 millones de dólares para la modernización de sus empresas en tecnología e infraestructura y estar a la vanguardia que el país demanda.

Recordó que México es uno de los 15 mayores productores de cemento en el mundo y la industria de la construcción creció por arriba de 4.0 por ciento en los últimos dos años, con la generación de más de 5.6 millones de empleos.

Asimismo, hoy en día es la cuarta actividad económica más grande generadora de empleo, de acuerdo a datos de UBM México y del INEGI.

Jaime Salazar dijo que Concrete Show México es la exposición del sector más importante de México y América Latina, donde se generarán negocios por arriba de los 100 millones de dólares.