Dangote Cement is reportedly planning to enter the Asian cement market with the construction of a cement plant in Nepal.

Quoting Aliko Dangote, Bloomberg reported that Dangote Cement Plc should complete a factory in Nepal by the end of 2017. It has received 90 per cent of the regulatory approvals needed to start construction in the south Asian nation hit by two earthquakes this year, he said. The company is expected to invest US$400m to build the cement plant with a capacity of as much as 2Mta.

“It’s going to be one of the first factories for us to build outside our comfort zone, outside Africa,” Dangote, wearing white traditional robes, said in a June 16 interview at his office in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos. Further expansion beyond Africa mainly “will happen through acquisition,” he added.