Dangote’s Masaiti plant to start operations

The US$400-million Dangote Cement Plc plant in Masaiti on the Copperbelt is scheduled to start operations by the month end, Group CEO Aliko Dangote has said.

Dangote explained that floods and bureaucracy in acquiring a permit from the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) caused delays in commissioning the cement plant, scheduled to start operations before the end of last year.

“We are pushing and the team will try and deliver the factory by the end of this month. We already have power and we are making good progress,” he said.

Once operational, Dangote Cement Plant is expected to create 1,000 jobs, with a production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes annually.

Dangote said Sinoma Engineering, the contractor engaged to construct the Dangote Cement Plant in Masaiti, will move on site to begin works in Lusaka. The cement plant in Chilanga will cost about US$420 million.