By Saio Marrah
Four new factories have signed industrial agreements with the Ministry of Trade and Industry as they prepare to start operations in Sierra Leone. Trade Minister , Edward Hinga Sandi and representatives of the entities undertook the signing process in the presence of journalists at the weekly government press briefing in Freetown.
Three are cement factories - SOL Co SL Limited, Randcem Limited and Rockcem SL Limited. GoldTree SL Limited is an organic palm oil production company.
The SOL Co is an affiliate of Wengpeng Group, China that is engaged in production, manufacturing, trade and port logistics.
Wengpeh Group has reportedly built six cement manufacturing plants in Africa since 2003, including a recent one in Guinea, Conakry which the minister said is the leading cement producing company in Guinea.
SOL Co is to inject 40 million dollars in developing a cement manufacturing factory.
Sandi said this company will not only invest in bringing in cement, but will also establish a grinding mill, geared towards producing huge quantity of cement.
The company is to be situated in Waterloo, outside of Freetown.
Sandi said another cement company, Rockcem, has the potential to establish a cement manufacturing factory and has an investment level of 25 million dollars. He said this company will be located at 7 Lumley Beach Road Aberdeen in Freetown, and assured it will be emitting less than one percent of dust into the atmosphere.
Rockcem, an affiliate of Mega Cola Company, is also believed to have a capacity to process up to 500,000 metric tons of cement per year.
This company will first import bulk cement and do repackaging locally.
It will later construct a cement grinding plant in Freetown.
Randcem , an affiliate of Fawaz Building Materials is to invest 30 million dollars into a cement grinding mill with annual capacity of 350,000 metric tons.
GoldTree will be based in Daru, Jawei Chiefdom, Kailahun District, and according to the minister will be producing organic palm oil, which he said will not only the best, but the only organic palm oil producer in West Africa.
With an investment capital of 20 million dollars, the company is to construct, develop and establish an infrastructure and install and operate a facility for fresh fruit oil palm production, packaging and distribution, with a direct and indirect employment capacity of 40,000 people.
Copyright © Politico Online (09/01/23)
