Authorities in the central African country of Cameroon said said in a statement that China Aero-Technology International Engineering Corportation (CATI-ENG) had signed a CFA35bn franc draft deal to build a cement factory in Cameroon and run it via a local subsidiary.

The factory will help plug a cement supply shortfall in Cameroon, which currently produces only 750,000tpa of cement, far short of demand that Industry, Mines and Technological Development Minister Badel Ndanga Ndinga estimated at around 3Mta.

A South Korean-led consortium signed a deal in January to build a 1Mta cement factory in Cameroon’s coastal town of Limbe by April, but the plant has yet to begin production.

The Chinese-funded fertiliser and cement factories are expected to benefit from preferential financing terms from China’s Exim Bank, officials said.