Once completed, it will be the third cement manufacturer in Rwanda after Cimerwa Plc located in Bugarama of Rusizi District in Western Province and Prime Cement Ltd operating in Musanze District in Northern Province.

The two plants don’t have the capacity to meet the demand which results into hiked cement prices.

However, the issue is set to get a solution through a project run by Anija Prefabricated Construction Rwanda to build a cement factory in Muhanga Special Economic Zone.

Headquartered in Ethiopia, Anjia Prefabricated Construction runs operations in other countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The latter is developing a cement factory in Muhanga on 67 hectares expected to manufacture cement and other construction materials.

The management of Anjia Prefabricated Construction has revealed that the plant is expected to produce 1,000,000 tons per year and create over 1200 jobs after completion.

Construction of the plant estimated at US$100 million (approximately Rwf102 billion) have reached advanced stages and expected to be completed in February 2023, according to contractors.

Muhanga District vice Mayor for Economic Development, Eric Bizimana has told IGIHE that construction activities currently stand at 70%.

“The plant is under construction in a place dedicated for factories. Setting up this plant will cement investors’ confidence to invest in Rwanda, particularly in Muhanga,” he said.

“The plant will also contribute to the creation of new jobs and increase the quantity of locally produced cement,” added Bizimana.

This factory also plans to make a special type of cement used to build bridges crossing water bodies.

Products for cement production are expected to be sourced from Rubavu and DRC where the company has another plant.

With the production capacity of 600,000 tons per year, Cimerwa has been in operation since 1984.

Prime Cement also produces 600,000 tons per annum expected to be increased to 1.2 million tons in 2023.

Figures show that Rwanda’s demand for cement was estimated at 800,000 tons before 2020 yet local plants had the capacity to produce only 480,000 tons per year.

The artistic impression of the cement plant under construction in Muhanga District.