BY WILLIAMS ATTAH, GOMBE – Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya has assured that the Gombe State Government will provide a conducive environment for a mega cement company to settle and commence production in the State.
Yahaya, who gave the assurance when a group of investors visited to inform him of an advanced plan to commence the establishment of a cement factory in Kembu and Kwali districts of Akko and Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Areas of the State, said that with the status of the state as the number one in terms of ease of doing business, there will be hitch-free bureaucratic red tape.
He said that other benefits to be derived by the cement company include easy source of power from the 40 megawatts Dadin-Kowa hydro power plant.
According to Yahaya; “Even though you are coming with your own, in case you need more, there is a lot of coal deposit here, you can generate power from hydro, you generate power from coal and God has blessed us with oil and gas, you can even generate power from oil and gas”.
The construction of the five million metric tonnes capacity cement factory will be executed in two phases with the first one having the capacity for 2.5 metric tonnes and also expected to crash down the price of cement.
Ashaka Cement PLC, a subsidiary of Lafarge, which has been producing cement in Gombe for the past 40 years, has a production capacity of only one million metric tonnes and it is the only cement company in the northeast and also one out of the four cement companies in the entire northern Nigeria.
Muhammad Ibrahim said the Madugu Cement came along with its technical partner from China, Sinoma International Engineering Company, to unveil their intension of establishing a five million metric tonnes capacity cement company in Akkko and Yamaltu-Deba LGA’s of the State to be executed in two phases.
He said the project is to transform the manufacturing industry in Gombe State and increase Nigeria’s cement production capacity, adding that the surrounding regions still remain home to good opportunities for construction, housing and infrastructural development.
Ibrahim said it is also expected that the price of cement will be broken down, bridge huge deficit gap in the zone and create more opportunities for other investments in the entire northeast zone.
According to him; “When completed, this project will have the following impact in the host communities and the State, economic diversification and growth empowerment opportunities, reduction in poverty index, industrial sector development, increase production capacity in cement, local manpower empowerment and the company will depend mainly on local skills”.
Mr. Sun Yujin, from Sinoma International Engineering Company, said the company had in the last two days made survey for the mining ground and results shows that “We have a huge quality limestone here.
“Madugu Cement can be built here and it will provide the number of manpower of labours and contribute to Gombe State”.
