HARARE – Khayah Cement, formerly Lafarge, said it will soon embark on a US$15 million refurbishment of its Kiln plant which produces clinker, a key ingredient in cement production.
Fossil Mining took over control of Lafarge Cement after successfully buying the 76,45 percent stake that had been put up for sale by Swiss-headquartered Holcim Group.
Following the name and ownership changeover in 2023, Khayah Cement commissioned a new Vertical Cement Mill which doubled the milling capacity to one million tonnes.
Speaking to journalists on a tour of its plant in Harare, Khaya Cement CEO Innocent Chikwata said the kiln plant stopped working in 2023.
“So, with the history that you know, last year we had some issues in the cement industry. Part of what affected us as Khayah Cement was this piece of equipment which is called the kiln. We had to make a decision to come to a point where we stopped it because of unreliability,” he said.
“So, we’re about to embark on a project where we refurbish this starting from the stacking area up until the end of this process. And this project is going to cost us between US$15 million and US$20 million. Right now, we are in the process of finalising financing of the project and identification of who will do it, what needs to be done. So, this is monumental for us.
“It is a project in a normal cement factory that can happen once in 10 years and we are very privileged to be part of that monumental event that will happen.”
Chikwata said once the upgrade is complete, it brings stability to the cement industry in terms of raw material supply.
“Once in a while in our industry clinkers can become an issue. So, we have decided as Khaya to spend that money so that we not only stabilise Khayah Cement as an operation but we also do the same for cement industry,” he said.
Chikwata said the refurbishments are expected to take eight months to a year.
“We expect to re-commission the plant during the second half of 2025. It will improve Khayah’s ability to increase production and sales volumes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chikwata said the takeover of Khayah Cement by the Fossil consortium was the best thing to ever happen to the cement producer.
He added: “I will start by saying having local shareholding has been one of the best things to happen for the company. I think that you are now working with people that are in the same environment… so you will find your decision making becomes quicker, your understanding of the environment is immediate and it helps a lot.
“In terms of direction, I think they are very clear in terms of what they want to achieve.”
In 2021, the then Lafarge commissioned a new US$2,8 million dry mortar plant, which increased output of dry mortar products such as adhesives and agricultural lime from just 7,000 tonnes per year to 100,000 tonnes annually, equal to national demand.
