As part of its expansion strategy,PPC announced today the inauguration of its Ethiopian operation,Habesha Cement.The inauguration of PPC’s Ethiopia operations,Habesha Cement,marks the completion of the construction of the factory and instalment of the technical and non-technical systems.
The ceremony,officiated by His Excellency,Ato Hailemariam Desalegn,the Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,was held at the plant in Holeta,50 km north-west of the capital,Addis Ababa.
The establishment of Habesha Cement Share Company is the first of its kind in Ethiopia, established via a shareholding scheme consisting over 16,500 Ethiopian shareholders.The 1.4 million tonne per annum cement plant was built to address the demand for cement and assist the booming construction and infrastructure activities in the country.
Habesha Cement’s inauguration now brings to three the number of projects PPC has successfully completed outside South Africa in the past year as part of its expansion strategy.On Monday 17April,PPC Barnet DRC despatched its first truck load of saleable cement from the plant near Kimpese in the Kongo Central province in western DRC,230km south-west of the capital Kinshasa.
The 1 million tonnes per annum cement plant was commissioned in February 2017.”With the completion of the plants in the DRC and Ethiopia we have achieved two significant milestones in our quest to become a major player in the cement industry across Africa”said Njombo Lekula, Managing Director, International operations,PPC.“Both plants have been built using the latest technologies,in line with international standards.”
With PPC celebrating its 125th birthday this year, this longer-term strategic approach is in line with the company’s philosophy and commitment to quality.“Because quality matters in all we do, we choose to focus on the bigger picture:the ultimate vision of success.
This challenges how we think and act not only in terms of the products and materials we manufacture and the projects we invest in, but also when it comes to our approach to collaborating with the right partner,”said Lekula.
“We are excited and enthusiastic about the completion of these two new plants and as a brand, remain committed to bringing innovative products and breakthrough engineering expertise to the continent’s growing markets,” concluded Lekula.
