FG: Kano-Jibia to Maradi Railway Line Will Crash Price of Cement

Oluchi Chibuzor

The federal government has stated that the Kano-Jibia to Maradi railway line when completed would help to crash the price of cement in the country.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this during a facility tour of BUA’s Kalambaina Cement Plant in Sokoto State.

According to the minister, the railway line will help reduce the cost of transportation and energy incurred by cement manufacturers since bulk of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) would be transported using rail way transportation.

The Minister however stated that the conditions that have made BUA cement to flourish, especially since 2015 when the present administration assumed office, include the fact that BUA was granted Pioneer Status, the ban on importation of cement, government’s divestment from the cement industry and backward integration policy.

“Thanks to these conditions, BUA Cement has recorded a 300 per cent increase in production between 2015 and now. That is from 3.5 million tonnes per annum in 2015 to 11 million tonnes per annum now. For its part, the sokoto plant is operating at over 90 per cent of installed capacity,” he said. 

He added: “Because of its location, which is just 100 kilometers to Niger Republic, the plant exports to Niger and Burkina Faso, earning Nigeria much needed forex. Please note that only excess is exported, especially during the raining season. Other facts include that the company produces all year round, loading between 250 and 270 trailers per day. The plant has 700 trucks for cement distribution.”

He noted that the three million tonnes per annum line (IV) of the BUA Cement facility takes the combined

installed capacity of the factory’s lines 2,3 and 4 to 5 million tonnes per annum, stressing that this is one of the most modern cement plants anywhere in the world.

“It has gas analyzers used in regulating carbon emissions released into the atmosphere; air purifying mechanisms set up to enhance the quality of air released from the cement manufacturing process. In fact, the plant has filters capable of capturing 99.9 per cent of dust in order to make the environment healthy and conducive for the workers and customers alike, “he added.

He stated that the plant is the first cement plant in

Nigeria to use LNG to generate 50MW of power, thereby replacing coal in its kiln, pointing out that this has made the plant environmentally friendly to also curbclimate change. 

Speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BUA Cement Plc, Yusuf Binji, said cement producers are still under producing with a demand of 30 million tonnes far below Ghana, Egypt, Senegal and Ivory Coast in terms of per capita consumption.