The Switzerland-based Mira company has announced plans to build a 1Mta cement plant in the city of Douala under an agreement signed with the government of Cameroon.

For an estimated investment capital of over XAF32bn (US$53.56m), the new cement production plant will create an estimated 1600 direct and indirect jobs for an initial production of 1Mt of cement a year.

This new plant will bring the number of cement plants already operating in Cameroon to five, including the Cameroon Cement (CIMENCAM) belonging to the French group Lafarge, the Morocco-based Ciments de’l Afrique (CIMAF), the local subsidiary of the Nigerian Dangote cement group (DCC) and Medcem Cameroon, a subsidiary of the Turkish Eren Holdings.

The total production of cement in Cameroon is estimated at around 3.5Mt, while the potential domestic demand is estimated at 5Mt.