Ethiopia's cement prices begin to stabilise

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has confirmed that cement prices have been stabilising in the country, as a result of regulatory measures taken by the Ministry, according to New Business Ethiopia.

Cement prices had almost doubled to around ETB450/50kg bag (US$13) recently, reportedly due to some major suppliers not producing at full capacity and issues with hoarding of the product.

Since a shortage of imported material was the reason for the fall in production, the Ministry has assisted producers to use local supplies of coal. As a result, the usage of local coal has risen from around 20 per cent to between 60-100 per cent.

The measures taken to reduce cement prices have been successful, with prices returning to around ETB220-250/50kg bag.