A CHINESE cement giant, Huaxin Cement Co. Limited is set to acquire Kenya's ARM Cement's Maweni Limestone Limited in Tanzania to open doors for the top global cement maker into the lucrative local cement industry.
The Chinese firm, among leading cement companies in China and reportedly among the top ten cement companies in the world in terms of capacity and revenues, has signed agreement to buy 100 per cent shares of the Maweni Limestone Limited for 116 million US dollars, subject to regulatory approval.
The agreement is expected to pave the way for the Huaxin immediate entry into one of the leading markets in East Africa which is integral to their broader strategy to expand its footprint across emerging markets, according to a statement issued yesterday.
"We are very pleased that we were able to sign this Agreement. Tanzania is an important cement market in East Africa and MLL's operations are important for our ambitions in this market," the Vice- President of Huaxin and Head of Huaxin's international business, Xu Gang, is quoted as saying in the statement.
"We are looking forward to improving MLL's competitive position in the Tanzanian market with a state-of-the-art operation, creating value for its customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders and contributing to the development of Tanzania."
A Joint Administrator for ARM Cement, George Weru, said the transaction marked a crucial step for the delivery of their mandate as Joint Administrators of ARM Cement to realize value for the creditors, ensure continuity for the business and its suppliers and in the process safeguard the jobs of its employees through a going concern sale.
Wuhan-based Huaxin was founded in 1907 and operates today more than 200 plants with annual capacities of 100 million tons of cement, 24 million cubic meters of concrete and 25 million tons of aggregates.
It has 17,000 employees and generated revenues of USD 4bn in 2018.
In recent years, Huaxin expanded into the emerging markets of Tajikistan and Cambodia and is currently expanding into Uzbekistan and Nepal with greenfield projects.
ARM Cement Limited, formerly Athi River Mining Limited, was placed under administration last year after failing to meet its creditor obligations.
Source: Allafrica.com