Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria is planning to double its production capacity, with the commissioning of a new cement factory in Ewekoro, Ogun state. The increase in cement production by Lafarge will help the company to meet the demand of both local and foreign cement customers. The managing director and chief executive officer of the company, Samy Abdelkader, stated that the almost completed new plant is expected to double the current production capacity of the company with 2.5 million tonne when it commences production in August. The new plant will be a part of Lafarge’s response to the federal government’s integration policy that aims at self-sufficiency in cement production. According to Abdelkader, the addition of a 2.5 million tonne capacity would go a long way in achieving an appreciable stability in the nation’s cement sub-sector, which will impact positively on the product’s affordability for customers in the long run. After the commissioning of the Lakatabu plant in August, it is estimated that through this development, the company will be contributing around 12,000 tonne of cement daily to the Nigerian cement market. The new plant will be a further testimony to the company’s leadership in innovation, as it has the capacity to produce four different qualities of cement to better suit customers’ requirements, Abdelkader added. The company employed over 3,000 people during the two-and-half years it took to build the new plant.