North Region: PM inaugurates Figuil cement factory, hails Biya's industrialisation drive.

He made the positive appraisal Thursday while inaugurating the clinker processing and cement production factory in Figuil, Mayo Louti Division of the North Region.

The event had in attendance several members of government, elected representatives, traditional rulers and the population of the northern Regions. 

The project, which costs an estimated 50 billion FCFA, is a venture of Cimenteries du Cameroun, CIMENCAM.

The Prime Minister described the realisation of the factory as a key result of President Paul Biya’s commitment to boost local production.

Dion Ngute said the facility will also contribute to the structural adjustment of the country and create more opportunities to promote economic growth. 

The Figuil cement plant, the PM noted, ties with the desire and commitment of the Head of State to make the country’s industrialisation drive a reality.

The Prime Minister expressed delight that thanks to the facility, Cameroon has become a clinker production nation. With clinker being a major material in production for which billions had been spent in the past on its importation, Dion Ngute said the Figuil factory will cut such expenditure and retain capital for growth.

After touring the facility, Dion Ngute said: “It is a very important factory which is one of its kind in Cameroon. It produces clinker, which is a fundamental product if you have to produce cement. It is a colossal effort. We have visited the entire factory, it is really modern, very important modern processes”.

Cameroon’s industrialisation advancing…

The special envoy of the Head of State, said the Figuil plant is an addition to the industrialisation of the country. 

“It is important to emphasise that this is the industrialisation of Cameroon going ahead,” Dion Ngute told the press.

He also praised President Biya for making it possible for the project to see the light of day and “CIMENCAM for undertaking this project”.

Biya’ special bond with Grand North

The Prime Minister said President Paul Biya’s special bond with the people of the three Northern Regions is at an all-time vibrant. 

Dion Ngute averred that President Biya remains committed to improving the living conditions of the people of the three Northern Regions. 

He mentioned the Garoua Regional Centre, Garoua General Hospital and discussions ongoing to get funding from the African Development Bank, AfDB for works on the Ngaoundere-Garoua road as being some recent moves by Biya to improve life for the people.

New production capacity

The Managing Director, MD, of CIMENCAM, Xavier Legrand, said the new facility in Figuil is five times what was originally on site. 

“This plant will produce 500,000 tonnes of cement per year. It is five times the capacity of the old factory. This will allow us to provide cement for the entire Northern Regions and Chad,” the CIMENCAM boss declared.

Before yesterday’s heavily attended ceremony, Dion Ngute had been treated to a heroic welcome in Garoua, on Wednesday, June 11. 

Yesterday’s inauguration of the facility is part of the Prime Minister’s working visit to the North Region. He was dispatched to the administrative unit by the Head of State, Paul Biya.

Local officials on their part said the facility will address challenges of access to cement in the Far North and Adamawa Regions. 

With Cameroon being the major economy in the Economic Community of Central African States, CEMAC, the Figuil factory, authorities said, will see the country increase cement supply to countries such as Chad and the Central African Republic, CAR.

Factory details 

Dion Ngute had laid the foundation stone for the construction of the facility in October 2021. Then, officials had said the Figuil plant, upon completion, will have state-of-the-arts facilities including technology; an oven (kiln) with a capacity of processing 1,000 tonnes of clinker per day. 

They had also said then that the factory was going to have a grinding mill plus a quarry crusher of 3,000 tonnes per hour capacity and a 2,500 capaicty silo. 

Its clinker storage facility was put at 21,000 tonnes. The clinker processing and cement production facility is expected to increase CIMENCAM’s annual cement production capacity to an estimated 2.5 million tonnes per year.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3472 of Friday June 13, 2025