An estimated 98% of the total installation work on Derba Cement factory has been completed announced Haile Assegdie, CEO for Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi Major Investment Projects. The Ethiopian factory has been set up at a cost of nearly 600 million birr and will enter production this month he said speaking to journalists visiting the site.
It is expected that Dereba will have a daily production capacity of 80,000 quintals or 25 million quintals per annum explained Haile.
The project encountered challenges including importing heavy machinery and digging through more than 880 meter through the sand and stone of a mountain according to Haile.All equipment at the factory has been tested individually and the integrated testing for total operational activities will be conducted within the next weeks.
Derba will contribute to provide a sustainable source of cement for the growing national demand for cement alongside Mesebo and Mugher Cement factories.
It is to be remembered that Mugar and Messobo requested that the government halt cement imports in letters to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The cement factories claimed that they can produce enough to meet local demand.
The cement factories have excess stock according to an anonymous official at Mughar. The two factories have increased their annual production by a total of 1.7 million tons following expansion projects.
Source: Ethiopian Herald
