The first set of the Dangote Cement bags, the 3x Premium, will hit the Cameroun market in January 2015, the management of the company has said.

Conducting the Cameroonian media round the 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum capacity plant in Douala, the General Manager of the Plant, Engineer Baba Abdullahi, said the plant was already being test run and full production would start next month.

He said Dangote Cement would be deploying its state-of-the-art machinery and latest technology from the point of production to delivery to customers adding that the company is known for employing the best practices in its operation.

Abdullahi noted that the entry of Dangote Cement into the Cameroonian market would significantly contribute to the growth of the country’s economy. He said that the management of Dangote Cement is upbeat about the prospect of stimulating the construction and housing sectors of the economy of Cameroon.

Abdullahi stated that the cement customers in the country are anxious to buy Dangote Cement because the Dangote 3X 42.5 grade would be the first in the market that is produced locally.

His words: “Everything is set for full production as the test run commenced earlier in the week. The imported clinker and gypsum is on ground and pozollan, which is locally sourced, is available. The power house which is one of the last of the plant facilities to be is almost completed, to bring the plant to 100% ready.”

The run, Abdullahi said, will enable the regulatory authorities to carry out independent quality checks. “Bodies such as LABO genie and ANOR would be carrying out check on the quality of the cement,” he said.

It would be recalled that Dangote Cement started the construction of the Cameroun plant in 2012 and has over time employed thousands of artisans and technicians.

“Today it has over 250 permanent staff. The company has risen above all challenges during the construction phase and is set to produce 1.5 million tons per year,” Abdullahi said, adding:

“It’s a product all Cameroonians so much await since they will benefit from the realities of competition that they will henceforth experience after over 40 years of foreign product dominance.”

Dangote is Africa’s leading cement producer with three plants in Nigeria and plans to expand in 13 other African countries. The Group is a fully integrated quarry-to-customer producer with production capacity of 20.25 million tonnes in Nigeria and new operations beginning to come on stream across the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Group plans to have around 60 million tonnes of production, grinding and import capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2016.

Dangote Cement’s Obajana plant in Kogi State, Nigeria, is the largest in Africa with 10.25mta capacity across three lines and a further 3mta capacity currently being built.

The new 6mta Ibese plant in Ogun State, near the key market of Lagos, was inaugurated in February 2012. Building is nearing completion on a further two lines totalling 6mta of capacity.

The Gboko plant in Benue state has 4mta capacity.

Through its recent investments, Dangote Cement has eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement and is transforming the nation into an exporter serving neighbouring countries.

Dangote Cement is investing several billion dollars to build manufacturing plants and import terminals across Africa. Current plans are for integrated or grinding plants, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, Liberia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia, as well as Ivory Coast and Ghana, and import/packing facilities in Ghana and Sierra Leone.

•Photo shows Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote.