Eren Holding-Quifreurou target 2nd place in Cameroon’s cement market in 2018

New entrant on the Cameroonian cement market, where Lafarge-Holcim (Cimencam), Dangote and Cimaf have been fighting a fierce competition, Medcem Cameroun is showing rather big ambitions.

Result of the joint-venture between the Turkish group Eren Holding, and the Cameroonian hardware store chain Quifeurou (quincaillerie du feu rouge), founded by Emmanuel Peughouia; this cement factory commissioned on 16 December 2016 in Douala, economic capital, is aiming for no less than the 2nd spot in the local cement market after 2 years of activities.

Simply put, this cement factory, the fourth in the country (3rd to launch its activities in Cameroon within 3 years), is planning to quickly ruffle the feathers of the current leaders in the Cameroonian cement market, namely Cimencam and Dangote Cement (who was also planning, from 2015, to take approximately 30% of market share away from the local subsidiary of the Lafarge-Holcim group).

According to Jacky Peughouia, deputy Managing Director of Medcem Cameroun and the company Quifeurou, this new cement production unit, with a capacity of 600,000 tons expandable to one million tons; has the means to achieve its goals. These are, he highlighted, the attractiveness of the price of its product (FCfa 4,550 per 50 kg bag, Ed.) and above all, the quality of the cement produced by Medcem Cameroun.

The raw materials used in the production line of what Medcem Cameroun labelled “the indomitable cement”, provide it with a guarantee of strength to build heavy infrastructure such as football stadia, or “underwater tunnels”, Jacky Peughouia specified.

An investment finally estimated at FCfa 20.3 billion, which helped in creating 250 direct jobs and 700 indirect jobs, this cement factory benefited from the advantages provided in the 2013 law on promoting private investment in Cameroon. This law grants exemptions of 5 to 10 years to companies, during the installation as well as the production phase.