Benin to get new cement plant

A new cement plant, with a monthly production capacity of 1,2 million tons is to soon be built in Masse, Benin, about 150 kilometers southeast of Cotonou, official sources said. [$]
{reg}[PAID={"id":"1,2,3,4,5","title":"The content you tried to access is only available to paid subscribers.","link":"1"}] An agreement for the New Cement Works of Benin (NOCIBE), a project of the Ciments du Sahel Group, was signed Friday at a cost of 130 billion cfa, African Manager said.

It is expected to create 3.500 jobs, 3.000 of which will be in the first phase; and 500 direct jobs - 400 of which are permanent - in the second phase.

There is high demand for cement in Benin, far exceeding the production capacity of the existing three plants supplying the market. The three plants in Benin have a combined annual production of 1,35 million tonnes, of which 180.000 are destined for the Nigerian market.

The annual deficit is estimated at more than one million ton. According to a recent survey, constraints in the international market and prices in the national market make it prohibitive for businessmen to import additional cement, despite the 250 import licenses granted to date by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, African Manager reported.