A contract for the construction of a six million ton per year cement plant in Itori, Ogun State, has been signed by Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) and China Sinoma International Engineering.
Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, and Devakumar Edwin, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, DIL, signed the contract on behalf of China Sinoma Engineering, which was represented by Yin Zhisong, Group President, and Liu Renyue, Chairman.
Speaking at the signing event, Dangote stated that when the new integrated cement plant is complete, it will increase Dangote Cement’s local production capacity, increasing it to 41.25 million tons annually and raising its total African capacity to 57.6 million tons annually. According to him, the Itori Cement Plant will boost Nigeria’s ability to export cement, allowing for greater economic diversification and foreign currency inflows.
Dangote claims that the project will also spur economic growth in the Itori axis and the home economy by creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs. He said that ancillary businesses will be lured to the axis and will be looking to capitalise on the cement plant’s location to offer goods and services to employees, contractors, and other stakeholders.
In spite of the fact that there are enough of raw materials available for producing such things locally, he continued, building the new cement factory is in keeping with Dangote Group’s objective of doing so.
He characterised Sinoma as a strategic partner who has played a crucial role in the accomplishment of important projects inside the Dangote Group. We feel at ease working with your organisation, he stated. Because of the way you’ve handled some of our most important projects, I have no doubt that this one will be finished on time.
Group President of China Sinoma Engineering, Yin Zhisong, expressed satisfaction with the commitment and determination of the Dangote Group in building cement plants across Africa. He said: “It is an honour for us to build another cement plant for Dangote Group. We are proud and happy to be on this journey with the company again.
When fully operational, the plant is anticipated to have two lines producing clinker at a rate of 6,000 TPD each, for an installed daily total capacity of 12,000 TPD. It is anticipated to be finished in 27 months using top-tier cement industry equipment that was purchased from the biggest equipment providers in Europe. The facility will feature a captive power plant on site to produce electricity for the cement kilns and other manufacturing equipment.
The Obajana, Ibese, and Okpella Plants are the other three cement plants built by Dangote Cement as green field projects in Nigeria. The Itori Cement Plant will be the fourth. Nigeria accounts for 35.25Mta of the 51.6Mta total production capacity of Dangote Cement, the largest cement producer in Africa.
With 16.25Mta of capacity across five lines, the Obajana factory in Nigeria’s Kogi state is the biggest in Africa. The Ibese plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a total installed capacity of 12Mta, the Gboko plant in Benue State has 4Mta, and the Okpella plant in Edo State has 3Mta.