The management of Dangote Cement Plc has announced the commencement of operations at its new plant in Pout, Senegal. The firm said in a statement that the plant would meet the cement needs of Senegal, Mali and the Gambia, among others. “The new plant, located in the Pout district of Senegal, is about 75 kilometres from Dakar, the country’s capital, and has a nominal capacity to produce 4,000 metric tonnes per day and 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum.
The plant is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, with a total production capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes annually,” the statement read in part. The Country Head, Dangote Industries, Senegal, Luk Haelterman, was quoted as saying that the plant had so far gulped around $250m, while actual production and sales from it started on January 10, 2015.
He added, “In this country, Dangote will not only stop at producing cement, we also have helped beyond cement, which is the idea of the owner, to become a pan-African enterprise. “Senegal is a market with over-capacity of cement, because it had two cement factories before now. But today, Dangote has become the biggest and best because we are producing the 42.5R grade only, which is better than what we met on ground, which is the 32.5R.”
The Sales and Marketing Director, Serigne Dieng, was also quoted as saying that Senegal, with 14 million people and a Gross Domestic Product growth of four per cent, had a cement market of three million metric tonnes per year and a per capita consumption rate of 230 kilogrammes. “Now, we have more capacity and Dangote Cement is exporting two million metric tonnes to Mali and the Gambia through rail,” he was quoted as saying.
The Chief Operating Officer of the plant, Athanasios Bampos, was also quoted as saying that the location of the factory was not only rich in limestone but also in clay and laterite, which are the major ingredients needed for cement manufacturing. Nigeria’s Ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, Katyen Jackden, was said to have commended Dangote for bringing cohesion among African nations with his investments.
