Breaking: Ebonyi Govt Sets To Build New Cement Factory, Earmarks ₦150bn for Industrial Project

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The Ebonyi State Government has commenced plans to establish a new cement factory in Nkalagu, citing longstanding challenges in reviving the old Nigerian Cement Company (NIGERCEM). ‎

‎Governor Francis Nwifuru disclosed this while conducting a team of Chinese contractors and technical partners on an inspection tour of the NIGERCEM site in Nkalagu. ‎ ‎According to a statement issued by the Governor's Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, the decision to build a new cement plant followed preliminary assessments which revealed significant obstacles to reactivating the old factory. ‎ ‎The governor said geological findings confirmed limestone deposits of about 50 million tonnes in Nkalagu and an additional 23 million tonnes in Effium, enough to sustain cement production for at least 30 years. ‎ ‎Nwifuru said the proposed factory would create thousands of jobs, stimulate industrial growth, and reduce the cost of cement and other building materials across Ebonyi State, the South-East, and Nigeria. ‎ ‎He maintained that the project was not politically motivated but formed a key component of his administration's People's Charter of Needs agenda aimed at accelerating industrialisation. ‎ ‎"We came with manufacturers, designers, builders and contractors to assess the limestone deposits. This is a project we are committed to executing," the governor said. ‎ ‎He further assured that neither he nor any government official would acquire shares in the proposed company, stressing that the project would be managed in the public interest. ‎ ‎The governor expressed confidence in the timely completion of the project, saying the expatriate contractors had assured the state government of delivering the factory as scheduled. ‎ ‎Nwifuru also commended stakeholders who have supported efforts to industrialize the state, including Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for his sustained interest in the reactivation of the old NIGERCEM. ‎ ‎The Ebonyi State Government had earlier appropriated ₦150 billion in its 2026 budget for the establishment of the new cement factory.