As Gabon restructures its economy, local cement producers seek to consolidate their position in the domestic market. CIMAF Gabon is investing significantly to increase its presence through the expansion of its existing grinding plant in Owendo and the construction of a new clinker unit. By Salim Kaddouri, CIMAF, Gabon.
With a population of around 1.8m people, Gabon’s cement market is modest but showing signs of recovery. While demand was 14.3 per cent down YoY to 532,000t in 2017, the market is recovering fast. The contraction of demand was limited to 1.5 per cent YoY in 2018 as total domestic sales reached 524,000t and 2019 marked a turnaround of fortunes. Consumption increased by 10.6 per cent to approximately 580,000t in 2019. Forecasts for this year show a similar, continued recovery to ~640,000t.
