Cement available for all

Another cement factory has been officially commissioned in Cameroon bringing the number of cement companies in to three. The Prime Minister, Head of Government happily cut the symbolic ribbon declaring Ciments de l'Afrique Cameroun (CIMAF) officially operational.

The Moroccan based company which is effectively present in five different countries in Africa : Ivory Coast, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Congo Brazzaville and which has been supplying cement in Cameroon for the past months is injecting 500,000 metric tonnes of the product into the market.

Its ambitions are rather high considering that the company intends to step up production to about one million metric tonnes in the near future. If one were to go by the figures provided by the various cement companies operating in the country, then the 500,000 metric tonnes brings to 3.6 million tonnes the quantity of cement that is being pumped into the Cameroonian market.

Les Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM),the oldest company in the country produces 1.6 million metric tonnes while Dangote Cement Cameroon, commissioned a few weeks ago, produces 1.5 million metric tonnes. Estimated demand for the country today stands at 2.8 million metric tonnes.

This certainly entails that supply has already surpassed demand if all things were to remain equal. The situation is expected to even change for the better when the Turkish company goes operational. MEDCEM is seriously constructing another factory in Douala and is expected to inject into the market additional 600,000 metric tonnes of cement. The Limbe cement factory project to be built by South Korea is still in the pipeline.

The influx of a medley of cement factories in the country is seen as a blessing and a timely response to the plea of many Cameroonians. The most disturbing thing however is the complete absence of the application of the law and demand whereby an increase in demand entails a drop in price.

So far, the price of a 50 kilogramme of cement remains at FCFA 5,000 for cement from all companies. Cameroonians are still top come to terms with this rather funny situation. Is it an arrangement between the various companies to keep the price at the same rate, is the question on every lip?

Is it because of high taxes? Is it bad faith? The danger in all these is the fact that the country is involved in quite a good number of projects, many of which demand the massive use of cement. This explains why projects such as road construction, hydroelectric dam buildings and other public buildings take so much from the State.

Perhaps it is important to let any cement company coming into the country to understand that it is not only there to make money but to perform a public service and help in the development of the country. The story is told of one of the companies that is present in some African countries which has taken as duty to help the poorer segment of the population by supplying cement at cheaper rate.

What such companies need to understand is that the cry of the Cameroonian is not only that there should be cement but that it should be available to everyone. It is not that it should be in excess but that the excess should play on the price and make even the commonness man happy.

That, in essence, is what is really lacking and making it difficult for Cameroonians to welcome the influx of several cement factories with pump. Now, the question is, for how long will this continue to happen?

If there is a hidden hand somewhere preventing cement operators from stepping down the price of this precious product, may that hand be declared anathema. Cement must be made a product for all and not for a few.