Sales at Dangote Cement’s Cameroon operations fell 14.1% in 2025, according to the company’s audited financials reviewed by Business in Cameroon.
The Douala plant, with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons, sold 1.2 million tons, down from 1.4 million tons in 2024. The decline, representing roughly 200,000 tons, was attributed to post-election unrest following Cameroon’s October 2025 presidential vote, which disrupted economic activity in Douala and several other major cities.
The slowdown in Cameroon also weighed on Dangote Cement’s pan-African performance. Across its continental operations, volumes fell 1.6% to 11.0 million tons, while pan-African EBITDA dropped 14.8% to 294.1 billion naira (CFA120.5 billion), with margins declining from 23.3% to 20.2%.
Expansion plans face potential setbacks
Despite the decline, Dangote Cement remains optimistic about medium-term demand, driven by infrastructure projects such as the Douala–Yaoundé highway and various road and bridge initiatives.
Cimencam, the country’s leading cement producer and local subsidiary of LafargeHolcim Maroc Afrique, has long dominated the Cameroonian cement market.
On February 28, 2026, Aliko Dangote signed a $1 billion agreement with Sinoma Engineering to support capacity expansions across Cameroon and six other African countries.
In Cameroon, the company is weighing two options: expanding the existing Douala plant or reviving a decade-old plan to build a new 1.5-million-ton plant in Nomayos, near Yaoundé.
Dangote’s broader African expansion, including investments in Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, and South Africa, positions the conglomerate as a leading cement producer on the continent. However, recurring political and economic uncertainties in key markets may scuttle short-term growth targets, underlining the delicate balance between strategic expansion and operational risk across Africa.
