(Ecofin Agency) - The Ivorian subsidiary of Cimenteries d'Afrique (CIMAF) is going to expand its assets in the countries by building a new production unit in San Pedro. This was announced on Thursday 7, 2016 by Emmanuel Essis Esmelle, director general of Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d’Ivoire (CEPICI).

For a cost FCFA35 billion, the new infrastructure will boost the group’s annual production capacity which was insured by its grinding center in the industrial zone of Yopougoun. With it, CIMAF will strengthen its position in the local market and effectively target the regional market.

Let us recall that in Côte d’Ivoire which is currently busily reconstructing and need significant quantities of cement, installed capacities for cement are lacking. To remediate to this but also to mitigate the hike in prices of cement and meet market needs, the government had to green-light the import of 300,000 additional tons of cement.

The sector remains dynamic and it is expected even to see four new cement factories with a total capacity of 4.3 million tons land in the country by 2017.

CIMAF is an African arm of Moroccan real estate firm Addoha which is also active in Côte d’Ivoire and deals with housing projects.

Idriss Linge