The World Cement Association announced today that it is welcoming the Cement Producers Association of Iraq (CPAI) as an affiliate member of its international network. Affiliate membership is designed for regional or national cement associations and other partner groups, which are not-for-profit organisations working in areas related to the objectives of the WCA.

"In these challenging and uncertain times, it's more important than ever that organisations and individuals from across the global cement community can come together to explore opportunities for collaboration, share knowledge and support one another," said Ian Riley, CEO at WCA. "We're therefore especially pleased to be welcoming CPAI to our membership right now and look forward to working together on a range of ongoing initiatives."

CPAI counts among its members 12 of Iraq's leading cement producers, which together represent around 25Mta of production capacity.

"We are really looking forward to continuing our mission to promote Iraq's cement industry on a global basis by working with the WCA," explained CPAI Chairman, Nasir Almadany. "Collaboration and learning have always been central to our work, and we've been really impressed with the way WCA embodies these values through its member services, events, forums and seminars."