Nigeria’s Dangote Cement Plc is expanding into Botswana with a US$336m investment to build a blending plant — part of its wider continent-wide growth strategy.
The project, announced by Emmanuel Ikazoboh, the company’s new chairman, will make Botswana the 12th African country where Dangote operates. The plant will blend imported clinker into finished cement, reducing logistics costs and improving margins.
Botswana, with a population of 2.4m, has recently moved to restrict cement imports, creating an attractive opportunity for local production and potential exports. The investment also reflects Dangote’s strategy to reduce reliance on South Africa, where imports remain high despite protectionist policies.
The expansion is one element of Dangote Cement’s US$10bn pan-African investment drive, aimed at boosting capacity and consolidating market presence beyond its Nigerian base. The company already operates in Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and other countries.
