On 15 April an official ceremony was held at the Jbel Oust cement plant in Zaghouan governorate, Tunisia, to mark the US$140m purchase of the Votorantim Ciment stake in the plant by Sinoma Cement.
Chaired by the Governor of Zaghouan, Karim Brinji, and attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia, Wan Li, the Director General of FIPA, Jalel Tabib, as well as senior representatives of both companies, the ceremony was hailed as a major step in strengthening the Tunisian-Chinese economic partnership.
Wan Li described this acquisition as a "beneficial commercial partnership for both countries," specifying that it is part of the bilateral cooperation agreements signed for the period 2025-2028. He also emphasised the importance of the Memorandum of Strategic Partnership for Development as the foundation of this new industrial dynamic between Beijing and Tunis.
Long Yaokun, CEO of Sinoma, expressed the group’s commitment to modernising the plant’s production technologies. He also announced plans to strengthen local skills through technical training programmes, considering the project a “driving force” for future Chinese investment in the north African country.
