Despite its associated energy costs and the availability of cheap imports from China and Pakistan, demand for cement in East Africa has continued to rise. The need to increase cement production to feed the region's booming construction industry dominated discussions at a workshop meeting of East African cement producers and German cement-equipment manufacturers in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 20.
Annual demand for cement in East Africa is now estimated at 6 million metric tons, with Kenya’s demand alone estimated at some 3.5 million metric tons, according to Kenya's National Construction Authority (NCA).