CEMENT PRODUCTION : Dangote Cement Cameroon Imports Nearly 500,000 Tons of Clinker from Nigeria to Support Production

(LVDE) – In the first half of 2025, Dangote Cement imported 481,100 tons of clinker from Nigeria for its operations in Cameroon and Ghana. This strategy aims to ensure production continuity in the face of demand challenges and raw material price volatility.

Dangote Cement Cameroon recently announced significant results for the first half of 2025, with the importation of 481,100 tons of clinker from Nigeria. According to the company’s activity report, this initiative was crucial to maintaining a steady supply for its plants in Cameroon and Ghana. Although the exact volumes allocated to each country were not specified, this move represents a proactive response to international clinker price fluctuations, a key ingredient in cement production.

In Douala, the clinker grinding plant, with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons, sold 686,700 tons of cement during the first six months of the year. This figure marks a slight decline of 3.3% compared with the 710,000 tons sold during the same period in 2024. Company officials attribute this dip to a temporary slowdown in market demand.

Despite this minor setback, prospects remain encouraging. Major infrastructure projects, such as the Douala-Yaoundé highway and the rehabilitation of roads and bridges across the country, are expected to support cement consumption in the coming months. “These projects should sustain demand in the medium term, even considering uncertainties linked to the general elections scheduled for October,” the report highlights.

In the CFA franc zone, Dangote Cement subsidiaries operate in diverse environments. Some are benefiting from the revival of major projects, while others still face logistical constraints and rising production costs. For example, in Congo, the local subsidiary’s sales stagnated at 445,700 tons due to logistical difficulties that hindered exports, despite the resumption of ambitious public projects.

In Cameroon, Dangote Cement is planning a significant expansion with the construction of a new plant, designed to be identical to the first. Bertrand Mbouck, the Managing Director, confirmed in an interview with Africa 24 that the project had received official approval and construction had begun. Announced by Aliko Dangote in 2015, the project is finally materializing after several years of delay.

Meanwhile, the Cameroonian cement sector is set for a major transformation. Three new cement plants, owned by Chinese investors, will come online in July 2025 in the Littoral region. These new units – Sinafcim (1 million tons/year), Central Africa Cement (1.5 million tons/year), and Yousheng Cement (1.8 million tons/year) – will add 4.3 million tons to national capacity, raising it from 8.4 million to 12.7 million tons per year.

With domestic demand estimated at 8 million tons, this expansion should not only meet local needs but also boost exports. However, the price of a 50 kg bag of cement remains high, ranging between CFAF 5,100 and 5,300, due to clinker import costs.

In this context, Dangote Cement Cameroon is strategically positioning itself to face growing competition and meet market demand. The combination of increased production and proactive resource management is expected to strengthen the company’s leadership in Cameroon’s cement market.

Esther Grace