Zambia has recently recorded intermittent increases in the cost of cement, prompting government to call for additional private investment in the industry.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has disclosed that a market study has been carried out under the auspices of the African Competition Forum (ACF) and was simultaneously undertaken by Tanzania and South Africa.

CCPC public relations officer, Hanford Chaaba, said that the findings on the study have since been tabled before the ACF headquarters in Kenya and the results will be made public during the June ACF conference in Morocco.

"The study has been finalised and its findings are before the ACF headquarters in Nairobi. The ACF would scrutinise the findings of the study and offer recommendations to government and other stakeholders on how to keep the prices of these commodities stable," he said.

This was a study of three countries focussing on understanding the market dynamics that are responsible for the increasing prices of cement.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Dangote Group is on the verge of commissioning its US$400m cement plant, which will be the biggest in Zambia, ahead of similar operations by Lafarge and Zambezi Portland.