Mira SA plans 0.7Mta plant in Cameroon

Mira SA will soon launch the construction of an industrial cement plant in the north region of Cameroon. The XAF120bn (US$182.9m) project see the construction of a 0.7Mta clinker production unit.

The completion of this project will make Mira SA the second-largest clinker producer in the region, behind Cimencam. In October 2021, the country's Prime Minister, Joseph Ngute, launched the construction of a new Cimencam plant in Figuil. This unit added 0.5Mt of cement to the company’s annual output.

Increased local clinker production is expected to drive down cement prices. "If we manage to produce 1Mt of clinker locally each year, the price of a 50kg bag of cement could fall to around XAF4000 or XAF4200 [compared to XAF5400 and XAF5500 currently],” a market player said.

Dangote Cement initiated a few years ago a plan to exploit the limestone deposit of Mintom in Cameroon's southern region, to produce clinker locally and help reduce cement prices in the country. But the project could not be completed because nearly 70 per cent of the deposit is submerged by the waters of the Dja River. This scenario makes it more complex and costly to exploit this deposit, whose potential is estimated at 540Mm³ by the Institute of Geological and Mining Research (IRGM).