Ghanian multimillionaire Ibrahim Mahama’s new cement company, Dzata Cement, is projected to produce 3 million tonnes of cement annually for the local and continental markets when production commences fully this year.
Construction on the company’s cement factory began in 2011 and operations were initially slated to launch by Q1 2018, with the aim to serve the local market while creating direct jobs for at least 1,200 people.
The project’s first phase, which would equip the factory with a 1.2-million-tonne capacity, is nearing completion. Joy News quoted Dzata Cement Managing Director Nana Philip Archer as saying that the capacity will soon double and could reach 3 million tonnes in the coming years.
Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen commended Mahama for his investment in the national cement sector, which is dominated by foreign players.
Dzata Cement produces ordinary Portland cement, which is imported for the factory and bagged. The factory can produce an average of 120 bags per minute from its two production lines, Pulse reported.
Dzata Cement is a fully Ghanaian-owned cement processing company. Its factory has modern technology and is valued at over $100 million. The factory is located in Tema City, sitting on 10 acres of land near the Tema Port. Mahama is also the founder of Engineers and Planners, the largest indigenous-owned mining company in West Africa. It employs more than 4,000 workers on the Damang and Tarkwa mines owned by South African mining giant, Goldfields. His workers are also involved in satellite projects in Ghana, including road construction, earthmoving and civil engineering works. He also founded Man Bosch Ghana Ltd (MBG), a franchisee of MAN DIESEL Trucks in Ghana. As of March 2021, he ranked as Ghana’s fourth wealthiest man with an estimated net worth of $860 million, according to Ghana Insider.
