SCIROCCO Enterprises Ltd has entered into an agreement with a consortium to construct a 2500tpd cement factory in the Makeni area of Lusaka, Zambia.

Moustafa Saadi, managing director of SCIROCCO Enterprises, said in a press briefing that the company has been incorporated in Zambia and it will be known as Amaka Cement Industries Ltd.  It has now entered into an agreement with a Chinese firm and an international funder to carry out the US$200m project.

“The agreement has been signed and feasibility study is being undertaken to establish the viability of the project. As soon as the exploration work that needs to be carried out is finalised, environmental impact assessment will be carried out to comply with the prevailing laws.

“We expect that the process can be concluded quickly without any undue delays. We are looking forward to the support of our community and various government institutions to facilitate the process in order to begin the physical work,” the Zambia Daily Mail quoted Mr Saadi as saying.

Construction of the state-of-the-art plant is expected to start in September and completion is scheduled for 2017, according to the report.