By Rukayat Moisemhe
Dangote Industries Ltd. (DIL) has signed an agreement with China Sinoma International Engineering to build a six million tonnes per annum cement plant in Itori, Ogun State.
The development was contained in a statement signed by Mr Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communication Officer, DIL, on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to the statement, the agreement was signed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group alongside the Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, DIL, Mr Devakumar Edwin.
It said that China Sinoma Engineering was represented by its President, Yin Zhisong, and the company’s Chairman, Liu Renyue.
The statement said that the new integrated cement plant at completion would strengthen the local production capacity of Dangote Cement.
This brings its local capacity to 41.25 million tonnes per annum and total African capacity to 57.6 million tonnes per annum.
It added that the Itori Cement Plant would also increase Nigeria’s capacity to export cement, thereby enabling more diversification and foreign exchange inflows for the economy.
The statement said that the project was further expected to develop the domestic economy through creation of thousands of indirect and direct jobs and drive economic development in the Itori axis.
The statement said that ancillary businesses would be drawn to the axis to take advantage of the location of the cement plant to provide goods and services to staff, contractors and other stakeholders.
“Constructing the new cement plant is in line with Dangote Group’s vision of producing local goods that were formerly imported in spite of the abundance of raw materials for local production of such goods.
“Sinoma is a strategic partner who has been instrumental to the success of key projects in Dangote Group.
“You have handled some of our key projects and I am positive that this project will be completed as scheduled,” he said.
The China Sinoma Group President expressed satisfaction with the commitment and determination of the Dangote Group in building cement plants across Africa.
“It is an honour for us to build another cement plant for Dangote Group and we are proud and happy to be on this journey with the company again,” it said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plant projected to be completed in 27 months is expected to have two lines by 6,000 TPD clinker production with an installed daily total capacity of 12,000 TPD of clinker production.
The Itori Cement Plant will be Dangote Cement’s fourth cement plant constructed as a green field project in Nigeria; the rest are Obajana, Ibese and Okpella Plants. (NAN)
