PPC achieves two major milestones as part of its expansion strategy
As part of its expansion strategy, PPC announced this week the inauguration of its Ethiopian operation, Habesha Cement, and the first truck dispatch load of saleable cement from its plant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The inauguration of Habesha Cement marks the completion of the construction of the factory and installment of the technical and non-technical systems.The ceremony, officiated by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, was held at the plant in Holeta, 50km northwest of the capital, Addis Ababa.
The establishment of Habesha Cement Share Company is the first of its kind in Ethiopia, established via a shareholding scheme consisting of over 16,500 Ethiopian shareholders.
The 1.4Mta cement plant was built to address the demand for cement, and assist the booming construction and infrastructure activities in the country, the company said.
Habesha Cement’s inauguration now brings to three the number of projects PPC has successfully completed outside South Africa in the past year as part of its expansion strategy.
On Monday 17 April, PPC Barnet DRC despatched its first truck load of saleable cement from the plant
near Kimpese in the Kongo Central province in western DRC, 230km southwest of the capital Kinshasa.
The 1Mta cement plant was commissioned in February 2017.
"With the completion of the plant s in the DRC and Ethiopia we have achieved two significant milestones in our quest to become a major player in the cement industry across Africa" said Njombo Lekula, managing director, International operations, PPC.
“Both plants have been built using the latest technologies, in line with international standards.” With PPC celebrating its 125th birthday this year, this longer-term strategic approach is in line with the company’s philosophy and commitment to quality. “Because quality matters in all we do, we choose to focus on the bigger picture: the ultimate vision of success. This challenges how we think and act not only in terms of the products and materials we manufacture and the projects we invest in, but also when it comes to our approach to collaborating with the right partner,” said Mr Lekula.
