The laying of the foundation stone of a new cement plant in Katanda, Lomami province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been postponed indefinitely. The plant will be built in Bakwa Tshiluila, some 70km northeast of Mbujimayi, where deposits of limestone and other raw materials have been discovered.

Nestor Kabuya, geologists and supervisor of the construction site said the postponement was due to the state of emergency decreed by the country’s head of state to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The DRC’s borders were closed and Kinshasa has been isolated from other provinces.

The step will slow down the arrival of South Korean investors to Kasai Oriental and work is expected to resume as soon as the state of emergency is lifted and the health crisis ends, reports Agence Congolaise de Presse.