Abia commences work on cement factory

News    Monday, November 29, 2010

By Anayo Okoli

ABIA State government has commenced work on a cement factory that is expected to produce about 5 million metric tons of cement yearly, saying the factory will take off soon.



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Located in Arochukwu Local Government Area, the project is jointly owned by the government and Hermes Juno, a foreign company. The project is expected to provide employment and increase revenue for the state.

Inspecting the progress of work at the site, weekend, the Acting Chief of staff to Abia State governor, Mr. Nkwachukwu Agomoh, assured the contractor handling the factory that it was committed to realizing the project.

According to Nkwachukwu, government will strive to eliminate all bottlenecks that may hinder the early completion of the project.

Nkwachukwu commended the host community for donating their land for the project, adding that the administration was committed to ensuring that youths of the state were gainfully employed.

Earlier in his speech, while receiving the Acting Chief of Staff in his palace, the traditional ruler of Isu, Eze Ogbonnaya Eze, thanked the governor for his effort at realizing the project as well as his choice of their son as the secretary to the state government and pledged their support for his government.

He appealed to the government to include the Ututu -Isu road now in a dilapidated state in next year's budget for rehabilitation.

In his own remarks, the chairman of the board of the Hermes Juno, Dr. Nkemka Jumbo Offor said production in the factory will commence in the one and half years. Equipment for the factory will start arriving from next January.

Offor disclosed that installation of equipment will take about 9 months and that the factory will have a turnover of $ 80 billion while $ 4 million per annum.

He thanked the governor for his inputs towards the realization of the project and appealed to the federal government to construct the federal road leading to the area.