Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote has said the company’s $400 million cement plant in Zambia’s Masaiti district in Copperbelt region will start operating in two weeks’ time, the result of a delay in securing the necessary approval.

“There was a delay in getting a permit from Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), which actually made us start production late, but I think we are overcoming that, hopefully we can start in two to three weeks or so,” said Dangote after touring the Zambia plant on Thursday.

“The rainy season this year has been intense but it has given us a lesson to protect ourselves next time we are in
operation,” added Dangote.

The plant is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, with a production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes annually.

The Group, the most diversified in Africa, is currently investing about $2.5 billion to build more than 18 million tonnes of production and import capacity across 13 African countries excluding its home market, Nigeria.

By George Mpofu