Chinese, Kenyan firms sign 250-mln-USD deal to boost cement production

NAIROBI, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Bamburi Cement on Tuesday signed a 250-million-U.S.-dollar engineering, procurement and construction contract with Chinese firm CBMI Construction Co., Ltd. to build a new clinker grinding plant in Kwale county.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, President William Ruto said that the new clinker production line is the kind of transformative investment required to drive Kenya's rapid national development ambitions through deliberate support for both public and private investment.

"This project will play a critical role in strengthening Kenya's industrial capacity and supporting the delivery of strategic national infrastructure, including the Affordable Housing Program," Ruto said.

He noted that the project will create meaningful employment opportunities for young people, stimulate local enterprise and supply chains, and promote balanced regional industrialization by anchoring manufacturing growth in the coastal region.

The plant will feature a six-stage precalciner system and integrate technology to cut its emissions, including the use of alternative fuels such as coconut husks, cashew shells and municipal solid waste.

Mohit Kapoor, chief executive officer of Bamburi Cement, said the new 1.6 million tonne-per-year clinkerization plant will greatly reduce Kenya's reliance on imported clinker, improving quality production consistency and securing supply for the domestic market.

He said the new clinker line incorporates advanced, carbon-neutral technologies designed to reduce environmental impact and power Kenya's infrastructure development and economic transformation. ■