Real Estate
2016
Increased production driving national construction boom
By Solomon Asaba
When CIMERWA, Rwanda’s biggest cement manufacturer announced in August 2015 that it was increasing production almost 6 fold with the launch of a new plant valued at about $170 million, it was but testament to the incredible boom that the local construction industry is undergoing. Local cement production is now expected at 600,000 tonnes, up from 100,000 tonnes annually and will supply demand for both the local and export markets.
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Private Sector Federation
ngineer Dismas Nkubana, the head of Rwanda Engineering Council explains that the increase in local production of cement is a huge contributing factor towards growth of Rwanda’s real estate sector. “In the past, people feared constructing because much of the cement was imported, and market prices of locally made cement were also high. But CIMERWA’s increased production is promoting lower cement prices,” says Nkubana. Indeed, after the giant cement ptoducer increased its annual production, cement prices fell from Rwf