Government pledges to position Nigeria as a net exporter of cement

Government pledges to position Nigeria as a net exporter of cement

The Federal Government has put machinery in motion to position Nigeria as a net exporter of cement to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.

The Nigerian Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga made this known in Abuja, the nation’s capital, at the inauguration of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and the Project Implementation Team (PIT), charged with establishing a Cement Technology Institute (CTI) in the country.

CTI goals

He explained that the quest to set up the institute had been on the drawing board for more than 10 years and expressed happiness for being able to ensure its realisation.

The CTI is expected to assist the nation optimise its cement production capacity and capability through acquisition and development of appropriate technology.

Aganga said that this would make cement to be adequately available as a low cost building material for the average Nigerian.

According to him, the institute will carry out research and development, technology adaptation and human capacity building in the cement sub-sector of the economy
“The institute would also be the fulcrum for the positioning of Nigeria as a net exporter of cement with the capacity of meeting the needs of the ECOWAS sub-region,’’ Aganga said.

Aganga said the objective of the institute, include to train and enhance manpower in cement technology and related fields, especially at the middle management level.

Expectations

Mr Joseph Makoju, the Chairman of Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN) who represented the President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, described the event as a milestone.

“We have high expectations of this institute and we want to see it happen, so we are matured and ready to manufacture cement. We should not only be exporting cement, we should be exporting technology,’’ he said.

NAN/Chiamaka/Shakira/Ekata