Nigeria to stop cement importation in 2012.
President Goodluck Jonathan has set out plans to stop the importation of cement by the first quarter of 2012 as Lafarge begins production of 2.5 million metric tons of cement per annum at its new Ewekoro plant in Ogun State.
President Jonathan, speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the new Lafarge Ewekoro plant in Ogun State, said the Federal Government is currently working with cement manufacturers to achieve the aim of self sufficency in cement production by 2012.
"With the assurance given at the recent meeting with cement manufacturers, before the end of first quarter of next year, the country will become self sufficent in local production, as more manufacturers in the country are expected to begin production in their various expansion projects", he said.
He pointed out that the manufacturing sector would remain a focal point for government, with the aim of improving the local economy, thereby diversifying from oil to other sectors.
"According to experts, our oil sector is gradually depleting and in 35 years, things would definitely not remain the same in the sector. This is worrisome and calls for the need to open up the private sector, in order to make it more competitive and encourage more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to boost our Gross Domestic Output.
"We are focusing on other aspects of the economy so that when oil is dry, we would have other things to fall back on. We hope to develop other areas like agriculture and manufacturing, so that we can become self sufficient."
He said government would also be looking at improving the education, telecommunication and agricultural sectors of the economy, as part of efforts to diversify revenue sources for the economy. "If it is true that our oil reserves will dry up in the next 35 years, we need to diversify sources of revenue for the economy, to provide more jobs for Nigerian youth."
While declaring the plant open, the president expressed confidnece that Lafarge would not just produce at 1000% capacity but further expand to grow the economy.
The chairman of Lafarge, Olusegun Osunkeye, noted that the new plant currently has over 1,000 employees and injects over N6 bilion through salaries, taxes and other means into local economy.
According to him, the plant which cost over "350million Euros" was built in accordance with Lafarge world standards. He added that 80,000 hours of training had so far been given to the staff, so as to consistently produce 24 hours daily and meet the demands of different sectors of the economy.
Bruno Lafont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge South Africa, who spoke at the event, noted that Lafarge in Nigeria currently has the capacity to produce over 8million metric tons of cement annually, adding that with the new investment, Nigeria has become the largest operation of Lafarge in Africa and one of the major global players in cement production in the world.
He commended the government for its support for Lafarge in Nigeria and pledged to continue to contribute to the development of the Nigerian economy.
The new plant is a testimony to the company’s leadership in innovation, as it has the capacity to produce four different varieties of cement to better serve customers’ special requirements.
Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc is a leading manufacturer and marketer of cement. The company is a subsidiary of France-based Lafarge SA, a world leader in building materials.
With its state-of-the-art plant in Ewekoro, Lafarge WAPCO is the manufacturer of Elephant Cement, a formidable brand that has consistently won the NIS certificate for product quality by the Nigerian Standards Organisation for over two decades.
Credits: USTIN IMHONLELE, DANIEL OBI & RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta/ Business Day Nigeria
This article was originally posted on Africa Import Export Trading
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