As Nigeria’s urban landscape continues to evolve, reaching ever higher into the azure skies, there’s an unsung hero beneath the gleaming facades and towering structures: cement. For over a decade and a half, I’ve watched this gray gold transform our nation, turning architectural dreams into concrete realities. Today, we’re diving into the heart of Nigeria’s construction industry to explore the titans that quite literally lay the foundation for our country’s progress.
In this post, we’ll unveil the top three cement companies in Nigeria that have become household names across the country. These industry leaders have not only shaped our cityscapes but have also cemented their place in our national identity. From the bustling markets of Lagos to the sun-baked streets of Kano, their brands are synonymous with quality, reliability, and the promise of a stronger tomorrow.
Join me as we mix and pour through the fascinating world of Nigerian cement, exploring the brands that build our homes, offices, and the very future of our nation. Whether you’re a seasoned contractor or a curious homeowner, this insider’s look at Nigeria’s cement industry promises to be as solid as the product itself. Let’s break ground on this compelling journey!
Wait! do you know that selecting the right cement isn’t just about brand loyalty—it’s about understanding your specific needs and the properties that make a cement suitable for your project. Becuase of this, I want us to quickly take a look at key factors to consider when selecting the cement to use before we dive into the companies.
Or you can jump directly to the cement companies list.
Choosing the Right Cement: A Solid Decision
With these 9 key factors, we lay the groundwork for making informed choices in your construction projects;
- Strength Grade: Cement comes in various strength grades, typically ranging from 32.5 to 52.5 MPa. Higher grades offer greater compressive strength, ideal for load-bearing structures or high-rise buildings.
- Setting Time: Different cements have varying setting times. Quick-setting cement is perfect for urgent repairs, while slower-setting options allow more time for placing and finishing in larger projects.
- Resistance to Environmental Factors: Consider your project’s exposure to elements like sulfates in soil or seawater. Some cements offer enhanced resistance to these potentially corrosive factors.
- Heat of Hydration: For mass concrete structures, low heat of hydration cement can prevent thermal cracking.
- Fineness: Finer cement particles generally lead to higher strength and faster setting, but may also increase shrinkage.
- Project Requirements: The type of construction—be it a residential building, bridge, or dam—will influence your cement choice.
- Local Climate: Temperature and humidity can affect cement performance, so choose a product suited to your region’s weather conditions.
- Availability and Cost: While quality should never be compromised, consider the cement’s availability in your area and how it fits your budget.
- Sustainability: Some cement products incorporate recycled materials or have lower carbon footprints, an increasingly important factor in modern construction.
By keeping these factors in mind, you’ll be better equipped to choose the right cement for your project, ensuring durability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Now, let’s explore the top three cement companies in Nigeria that offer products to meet these diverse needs.
The 3 Best Cement Companies in Nigeria and Their Brands;
1. DANGOTE CEMENT PLC 💎
Dangote Cement Plc is a subsidiary of Dangote Industries, which was founded by Aliko Dangote in 1981 as a trading business with an initial focus on importation of bagged cement and other commodities such as rice, sugar, flour and salt.
Over time, the Group began to import bulk cement into the Apapa and Port Harcourt terminals, which it then bagged for distribution. Through the 1990s, the Group made a strategic decision to transition from a trading based business into a fully-fledged integrated manufacturing operation. This is where our ambitious plan to become Africa’s leading cement producer began.
Dangote Cement Plc is Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading cement company, with a production capacity of 52.0 million tonnes per year across ten countries.
Their four main values are; Customer Service, Entrepreneurship, Excellence and Leadership.
Cement Brands
Dangote 3X, cement type CEMII 42.5R (A-L) – is a general-purpose cement that is used to produce all kinds of products including C8/10-C35/45 class of concrete.
Dangote BlocMaster, Cement type CEM II 42.5R (A-L) can be used for the production of all kinds of concrete according to DIN EN 206-1/DIN 1045-1. When you need concrete of higher strength classes, BlocMaster is ideal and appropriate.
Dangote 3X, cement type CEMII 42.5N (A-L) is a general-purpose cement that is used to produce all kinds of products including C8/10-C35/45 class of concrete.
Cement type CEM II 32.5R (B-L) is used for manufacturing C8/10-C25/30 class concretes (forms dense and less porous concrete structure resulting in concrete durability), ferroconcrete, their composite and monolithic constructions such as:
– Building mortars for plastering, and floor screeding (it doesn’t tend to separate water).
– Road-building constructions, especially as soil stabilisers.
– Average height buildings.
– Waste depots.
– For ready-mix concrete industry, concrete fabricated with Falcon remains for relatively long period (good workability) before pouring.
– Mortars for filling the joints in between
2. BUA CEMENT PLC
BUA Cement was incorporated in 2008 and commenced operations in the same year through its floating cement terminals, ‘BUA Cement 1’, designed specifically for bulk and bag cement unloading.
In 2009 BUA Group acquired the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, CCNN (Sokoto Cement) and the Edo Cement Company to boost and increase the metric tonnes of annual cement production in the country
On the 9th of January 2020, BUA Cement was listed at a market cap of 1.2trillion Naira (USD3.3billiion) on the Nigerian Stock Exchange after a merger of BUA Group’s two Cement subsidiaries – CCNN and Obu Cement.
Their four core values are; Respect, Innovation, Commitment and Excellence.
Cement Brands
BUA Cement is ideal for all construction purposes in Nigeria. Its unique quality makes it the cement of choice for block-making, plastering and concrete works. Its high yield, strength, rapid setting and low heat of hydration are all distinct features that characterize our high quality production process.
3. LAFARGE AFRICA PLC
Lafarge Africa Plc is a member of the Holcim Group – the world’s leader in innovative & sustainable building solutions. It is a publicly quoted company on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and serves Nigeria with a wide range of building and construction solutions designed to meet housing and construction needs from small projects like individual home buildings to major construction and infrastructure projects.
With plants in Ewekoro and Sagamu in the South-West, Mfamosing in the South-South and Ashaka in the North-East of Nigeria, Lafarge Africa Plc currently has an installed cement production capacity of 10.5MTPA and has plans to grow in the near term.
Lafarge Africa’s Readymix business in Nigeria produces quality and innovative concrete and aggregates solutions from various locations with plants currently located in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Ewekoro.
Cement Brands
Watershield Cement, is a new innovative waterproof cement from Lafarge Africa PIc that addresses the key problems of water seepage, dampness and water ingress that are of significant concern for home builders. It is the first of its kind of waterproof cement in Nigeria specially designed to deliver the desire for long lasting and durable structures to home owners.
Lafarge RoadCem is an additive to cement that makes it possible to use all natural materials available in-site for road engineering. It has been designed and developed with the intent to stabilize and improve physical and mechanical properties of soil in road construction works.
UniCem cement has track record of quality, consistency and exhibits excellent strength performance at all ages. It has superior workability and good early strength which makes it suitable for both general purpose and structural concrete application
Lafarge Powermax is a Premium Technical cement that combines excellent strength performance at all ages with versatility and enhanced durability benefits. The characteristics of superior workability, good early strength and low alkali content, in particular, make Lafarge the effective solution to the performance demands of large construction projects while also satisfying the needs of home owner building projects.
Elephant Supaset is specially formulated to satisfy all the requirements of the sandcrete block and precast concrete segment of the Nigerian built industry.
Elephant cement is symbolized by the strength of an Elephant. It offers more than just a solution to the general construction industry but also a brand of impeccable standard, resonates quality, power, maturity, resilience, durability and reliability.
AshakaCem is the ‘Star of the North’ a famous brand that has proven record of quality & integrity. It exhibits excellent strength performance at all ages with versatility and enhanced durability benefits. It has superior workability and good early strength which makes it suitable for both general purpose and structural concrete application.
Enjoyed this read? You can also read;
- Best Cement Companies in Kenya.
Summary Of The Best Cement Companies in Nigeria
| Cement Company | Year Est. | Market Share | Cement Brands | Plants | Production (Metric Tonnes Per Annum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dangote Cement PLC | 1992 | 60% | 4 | 3 (Obajana, Ibese, Benue) | 20 Million |
| BUA Cement PLC | 2008 | 20.4% | 1 | 2 (Sokoto and Edo) | 11 Million |
| Lafarge Cement PLC | 1959 | 19.5% | 7 | 4 (Ewekoro and Sagamu, Mfamosing, and Ashaka) | 10.5 Million |
