UAE’s Union Cement has signed a deal with Algeria’s government to set up a $600m cement plant with an annual capacity of 3Mt in the north African country, the state news agency WAM announced.  

WAM quoted a senior company official as saying part of the output of the plant may be exported. The agency did not say when the project was expected to be completed.  

Algeria’s government, facing a nationwide housing shortage, is seeking to meet a target to build 1M apartments in the 2005-2009 period.