Ethiopia: Ethio-China forum highlights capacity rise

Speaking at the opening on Wednesday of the three-day Ethio-China cement forum in Addis Ababa, Dr Alemu Sime, State Minister of Industry, said Ethiopia has raised its cement production capacity to 13Mta.

Local demand is growing by 10 per cent annually, according to Dr Sime, and once domestic demand is met, Ethiopia will be exporting to its neighbours.

The increase in cement production capacity has allowed Ethiopia to generate foreign currency earnings and implement mega infrastructure projects.

To address the skilled manpower shortage in the cement industry, the government has designed a national cement technology road map. Centres of excellence in cement technology were established at the Addis Ababa and Adama Science and Technology universities, as well as at the newly-established Ethio-bio technology institute.