Sika is expanding its presence in West Africa and
starting operations in a new facility for mortars in Cameroon. Following the
foundation of the national subsidiary in 2016 and the opening of a concrete admixture
plant in 2017, the company is now investing in a new mortar manufacturing
facility. In total, Sika has 22 factories on the high-growth African continent.
The current business year has already seen investments in new facilities in
Egypt and Senegal.
Sika will use its new mortar
products factory, located in the major city of Douala, to expand its product
portfolio and supply customers in Cameroon’s construction market with locally
manufactured products. The country’s building industry is developing dynamically
under the stimulus of investments in infrastructure and housing construction.
Major infrastructure projects realised with Sika products include sports
stadiums, the Douala Grand Mall and Business Park project, and facilities for
water treatments and the supply of drinking water, which are being constructed
across the country.
“We are continually expanding our
business on the African continent and are recording the strongest growth rates
in the EMEA region,” said Ivo Schädler, EMEA Regional Manager. “Over the past
four years, we have increased sales by an average of 22%/year. Our investments
in expansion will create the basis for further market penetration in Africa,
where the boom in the construction industry is being driven by high population growth
combined with urbanisation trends and megacity developments.”
According to forecasts, Cameroon’s construction industry is expected to grow by 8.4% in 2019, with annual growth averaging 7.4% until 2028. This means that the country’s construction market is the market with the highest dynamics in West Africa.https://www.worldcement.com/africa-middle-east/03092019/sika-commissions-new-mortar-factory/