The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, has urged that the gas concessions given to electricity companies should be extended to cement manufacturers as a means of addressing the hike in the price of the product.
The Minister, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Nura Rimi, said this during yesterday’s investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Solid Minerals, Industry, Commerce and Special Duties, to probe the price increase.
“The cement manufacturers should be accorded ‘the gas to light price’ as enjoyed by electricity distributors. There is a need for friendly gas pricing. The meeting recommended the gas to power concession given to the electricity companies should also be enjoyed by the cement companies,” she said.
Uzoka-Anite identified some of the challenges facing cement manufacturers to include cost of gas, high import duty on spare parts, bad road network, high foreign exchange, and smuggling of cement to neighbouring nations.
According to her, the country is self-sufficient in cement manufacturing given the capacity of major manufacturers like BUA Group, Dangote industries Limited, and Lafarge Holcin, adding that the Ministry was deliberating on how the cement companies that stopped productions can be brought back on board to complement the active ones.
