While lower oil prices, Ebola and civil unrest have impacted west African economies, the region’s cement market has continued to expand with further growth forecast for the next few years. However, as domestic producers have upgraded their capacities and new players have entered the market, overcapacity is creating the need to export surpluses. By Trond Waerp, Africa Consulting Services AS, Norway.
West Africa, defined as the region from Senegal in the northwest to Nigeria in the southeast, has seen its population grow by 2.2-2.5 per cent in the last few years to around 352m in 2016. However, this hides wide differences between countries. The population of Nigeria is almost seven times that of Ghana, the second-largest in west Africa, and 100 times that of the smallest countries, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
