OSIBANJO INAUGURATE BUA's $350m CEMENT PLANT

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday Commissioned
BUA Group’s 1.5million metric tonnes Kalabaina Cement
Plant in Sokoto State which gulped $350 million to build.
Speaking at the commissioning of the new cement plant
which on full utilization will provide at least 2,000 direct and
10,000 indirect job opportunities, Osinbajo called on BUA
Group to collaborate with other major cement manufacturers
toward achieving reduced cement price to drive
infrastructure development in the country.
Osinbajo noted that the inauguration of the plant was a
milestone, not only for BUA Group, but for the cement
industry and the nation’s economy.
According to Osinbajo “Nigeria now produces over 40
million metric tonnes of cement. More cement than any
other country in Africa. The citing of the Kalabaina cement
factory by BUA is a demonstration that Nigeria has vast
potentials which investors should explore”.
This achievement by BUA he noted, “Will consolidate
Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in cement production, and boost
our status as a NET exporter of cement. The significance of
this feat cannot be over-emphasised as we explore
opportunities to diversify the country’s earnings away from
oil.
“The National Infrastructure Master Plan recommends that
we need to spend $3 trillion to bridge the infrastructure gap
as well as five percent of GDP annually”.
Making his address, the Executive Chairman/Chief Executive
Officer, BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, attributed the
milestone achievement being experienced in the country’s
cement industry to deliberate policies put in place by the
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to support
the real sector.
He noted that through some of the policies, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provided adequate foreign exchange
for import of machinery, which has been helpful in
completing the project on schedule.
Highlighting some of the unique features of the plant, Rabiu
noted that the plant “Can run on either coal, heavy oils or a
mixture of both thereby putting less pressure on our
operations whilst improving energy-efficiency.
“By also using coal to power our kiln, we expect to save over
70% in terms of energy costs compared to if we had to use
over 15 million litres of fuel oil per month or about 400
tonnes or 20 trucks of fuel oil per day.
The BUA Chief also added that, “The second line of our $1
billion Obu Cement Complex in Okpella, Edo State – which
was commissioned in August 2017 will be completed by the
end of this year and by the time that plant is completed,
BUA Cement’s total production volumes will be in excess of
8 million tonnes which will represent over 35percent of the
entire volume produced in Nigeria”.