Construction work on the US$500m Dangote Cement plant in Masaiti district, Zambia, is progressing well and will be completed on schedule, according to Kampew Nundwe, Dangote’s logistics manager.

In an interview from Lusaka at the weekend, Mr Nundwe said construction works were on course and the plant was set for completion in the next 27 months.

The plant's cement capacity will be 1.5Mta and this should be achieved by 2013 when optimum operations will be established.

Dangote Cement should create more than 1500 direct and indirect jobs during the construction and operational phases.

"At the construction stage, 500 casual workers will be employed and up to 1000 people will be employed when full operations start," Mr Nundwe said.