Edea: PM’s envoy, Prof Fuh Calistus, commissions 12 billion FCFA-worth cement factory.

The Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, MINMIDT, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry, inaugurated the plant on behalf of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute. 

The Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Masena Ngale Bibehe, the Governor of the Littoral Region, Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, amongst other important personalities, also lived the heavily attended event. 

Speaking during the event, the PM’s envoy said the 12 billion FCFA-worth project provides a production capacity of one million tonnes per year.

Prof Fuh Calistus explained that with the coming of CAC, the country’s cement production capacity has moved from five million tonnes per year in 2015 when only two cement operators existed to a combined capacity exceeding 12 million tonnes per year with nearly a dozen operators in 2025. 

According to the member of government, the achievement has been made possible through the establishment of several cement plants across Cameroon, driven by the continuous ambition to foster industrial growth.

The minister noted that such progress has made the country not only self-sufficient in cement production but also a giant exporter within the sub-region.

Project embodies public-private partnership

Going by the minister, the cement plant inaugurated is not just a structure of concrete and steel, but embodies the spirit of public-private partnership, innovation and the programme to which the nation aspires to achieve its development objectives. 

With the development of the limestone-clinker-cement value chain taking a positive dimension, Prof Fuh Calistus said government aims to reduce the costs of cement production and rendering the cost of a bag of cement affordable to all citizen.

He also re-echoed the resolve of the Head of State, Paul Biya, who in his different addresses to the nation, has committed government to lowering the cost of living for all citizen, irrespective of their social classes. 

“His Excellency Paul Biya, President of the Republic, in addition to being the instigator and fervent defender of peaceful coexistence in Cameroon, has also made every effort to ensure that equal opportunities are available to all investors, both national and international. To this end, the objectives of the government, and particularly the Ministry of Industry, focus on processing Cameroon's raw materials in Cameroon in order to benefit from the jobs and added value generated on our soil,” Prof Fuh stressed.

Appeal to investors

The member of government, while highlighting the strategic location of the country and its bilingual nature, said the country has become the ideal destination for attracting both domestic and foreign direct investment.

He then made a clarion call to all investor and potential investors to take advantage of the vast markets in and around the country, particularly Nigeria and Central Africa. 

“I would therefore like to take this opportunity to call on local and international investors to come and set up business throughout Cameroon and to invest more in the long term in this welcoming country, which is Africa in miniature,” he stated. 

Prof Fuh Calistus assured that Cameroon’s rich natural resources and stable legislative and regulatory framework are conducive for the development of the private sector.

He explained that in line with the provisions of Decree No. 2012/432 of 1 October 2012, the MINMIDT has been tasked with formulating and implementing the government's mining and industrial policy, as well as technological development strategies across the various sectors of the national economy.

“It is within this context that Cameroon, committed to ensuring the smooth development of its industrial sector, has made substantial investments, particularly in the cement industry,” he added. 

Enter CAC SA. Director General

According to the Director General of Central Africa Cement S.A, Nono Willy, the cement production at the Edea plant relies on locally sourced limestone and pozzolan, supplemented by imported clinker. 

With the aim of producing to meet the domestic market demand and for exportation, he assured that the plant has an installed production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of the CEM I 32.5 and 700,000 tonnes of CEM II 42.5 brands annually.

He also cited that the use of local resources, available in usable quantities, is expected to reduce the dependence on imported clinker, whose high cost remains a key factor driving the inflation of cement price in the country. 

The implementation of the cement project, he said will generate over 600 jobs for Cameroonian, with 120 direct jobs and several hundred indirect employment opportunities, thereby contributing significantly to local economic development. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3572 of Monday September 22, 2025