By JAMES KUNDA –
THE US$400 million Dangote cement factory in Masaiti will commence operations this month end following the completion of construction works, Dangote Group president and chief executive officer Aliko Dangote has said.
Meanwhile, the Dangote group has invested $400 million in the construction of a cement plant in Chilanga south.
Mr Dangote said major work on the Masaiti plant had been completed and the factory would commence operations at the end of this month.
He said this in an interview at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola shortly before departure for South Africa.

• NIGERIAN business executive Aliko Dangote (left) heads to his private jet (not in picture) for departure from Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola yesterday. This was after he toured his cement plant in Masaiti District.
Picture By JAMES KUNDA.

Mr Dangote was in the country to check on the progress at the plant and was received by Dangote plant director Ram Prakash and operations director Anand Kameshwar among other company representatives.
“We should have been operating by now but the construction process was hampered slightly by the rains. There were also delays in getting clearance from the Zambia Environmental Agency (ZEMA) at some stage and this resulted in the delay, we should start operating in the next two to three weeks from now,” Mr Dangote said.
He said the Masaiti plant, which has an installed capacity to produce 1.5 million tonnes of cement per annum has also been equipped with a 30 Mega Watt power plant.
On the Chilanga project, Mr Dangote said the model of the cement factory was similar to the one in Masaiti and the construction phase would gobble-up a similar investment.
Mr Dangote said the group would engage the same contractors that handled the Masaiti project, meaning that some people who worked on the first project could be re-assigned to work at the Chilanga plant.
“We have made good progress on the Chilanga project where we are building an identical plant and certainly there is room for additional investment in Zambia, we are happy to be here” he said.
Mr Dangote left Ndola for South Africa aboard his private jet at 11:00 hours. See picture on page three.