PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will on Thursday, February 9 commission the multi-billion dollar Dangote Cement plant, situated in Ibeshe, Ogun State. The new plant has an installed capacity of six million metric tones of cement per annum.

With the Commissioning, Dangote Cement’s total capacity will be 20.25million metric tonnes of cement per annum with Obajana Cement producing 10.25 million metric tones per annum and Gboko Plant with an installed capacity of four million metric tonnes.

The opening of the new cement plant, reputed to be the largest in Africa, puts Nigeria on the world map as not only a producer of the vital commodity, but also a net exporter in months to come.

 “We are marking the closing ceremony of cement import in Nigeria with the coming on stream of our Ibeshe cement plant which will be producing a combined six million tonnes per annum from its initial two lines while addition two lines will be added immediately to increase its production to 12 million tonnes per annum,” the management of Dangote Cement 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 in effort to make the nation self-reliant in the cement production as the country was losing huge sums in foreign exchange on importation of cement.

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

 Said he; “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.”

 Dangote’s current project in cement manufacturing is to further extend his consortium across Africa.