President Goodluck Jonathan, will tommorow, commission the multi-billion dollar new Dangote cement plant, situated in Ibese, Ogun State. The new plant which has an installed capacity of six million metric tonnes of cement a year will be the largest of its kind in Africa.

With the commissioning, Dangote Cement’s total capacity will be 20.25 million metric tonnes of cement per year. Obajana cement has installed capacity of 10.25 million metric tonnes per year and Gboko plant produces four million metric tonnes.

In a statement signed by Dangote Group’s Head of Corporate Communications, Anthony Chiejina, the plant would make the country delist itself from cement-importing nations upon commissioning.

“We are marking the closing ceremony of cement import in Nigeria with the coming on stream of our Ibese cement plant, which will be producing a combined six-million tonnes per year from its initial two lines, while additional two lines will be added immediately to increase its production to 12 million tonnes per year”, he said at the weekend.

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had told the nation that his organisation was taking up the challenge to lead the way to make the nation self-reliant in the cement production as the nation was losing a huge sum in foreign exchange on imports.

According to him, the desire of the Dangote Cement would be to ensure that the country not only move away completely from import of certain commodities, of which cement is one, but strengthen the local production capacity to make her an exporting nation and increase her foreign reserves.

“Our long term ambition is to develop 46 million metric tonnes of production and terminal capacity in Africa by 2015. We want to become a truly pan-African champion in the sector, capable of competing globally with the largest cement companies in the world,” he said.

Dangote’s current cement business, which has generated revenues of $3 billion in 2010, has spread to 14 African countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, the DRC, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Chiejina added: “Considering that Nigeria’s cement need is between17 to 19 million tonnes per year, by implication, with the coming on stream of Ibese, what Dangote Group alone will be producing will be far more than the country’s demand. That will set the pace for exportation of our products which will lead to increased products, more revenue for the company and better returns for the shareholders.”