CBI Ghana Ltd has officially opened its US$110m calcined clay production facility at the Tema Free Zones Enclave, a development expected to significantly reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported clinker.
The plant, which is already operational, was formally inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama. The installation has a production capacity of 400,000tpa of calcined clay, enabling cement producers in Ghana to substitute a significant share of imported clinker with locally processed materials.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Mahama said the project demonstrated the potential for greater domestic value creation within Ghana’s industrial base: “What CBI Ghana has built here is a statement about Ghanaian potential. For decades, our industrial growth has faced a punishing import bill that grew on a culture of exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. Today, we are proving that responsible African industrialisation is possible,” he said.
Frédéric Albrecht, Managing Director of CBI Ghana, said the project was designed to address one of the structural challenges facing the country’s cement industry: “Every year, Ghana spends close to half a billion US dollars importing clinker. That is hard currency that can stabilise our local currency. From this plant, the largest of its kind in the world, we are replacing imported clinker with locally produced calcined clay,” he said.
CBI Ghana produces cement under its Supacem brand and supplies a range of construction sectors including ready-mix concrete producers, infrastructure contractors and housing developers. The Tema facility forms part of a broader effort to increase local value addition within Ghana’s cement industry while reducing exposure to global freight costs and currency volatility.
