Dangote Cement expands Obajana Plant

The Dangote Cement Company is to be the largest cement plant in the world with a combined production capacity of 10.25 million tonnes annually.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group, made the statement today at the commissioning of Line 3 and the groundbreaking of Line 4 at the group’s Cement Plant in Obajana, Kogi.

He said that the Line 4 whose foundation was also laid on Monday would further take the capacity of Obajana plant to 13.25 tonnes per annum, when completed by 2015.

According to Dangote, this is a defining moment for the group not only as an organisation, but also for Nigeria as a country.

“This will indeed make us the power-house of cement in Africa,” he said.

He said that the feat came barely four months after the group commissioned its newest cement plant at Ibese in Ogun.

He said that the Ibese plant was quite significant because it effectively marked the end of cement importation into the country and the beginning of its self-sufficiency in local cement production.

The Governor of Kogi, Idris Wada lauded Dangote for siting the plant in the state. Wada said that he was excited by the success story of the company, adding that the plant would place the state on the world map as a major producer of cement.

Wada appealed to the management of the company to employ indigenes of the host communities.

The event was attended by top government officials, including President Goodluck Jonathan.