MOROTO. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday commissioned a $300 million USD clinker cement factory in Nadunget Sub-County, Moroto District, in the Karamoja sub-region.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Yaobai Cement Factory, now operational, produces 6,000 tonnes of clinker cement daily in its first phase. The plant manufactures both composite and ordinary Portland cement, which are widely used in constructing infrastructure projects such as bridges, highways, railways, and residential buildings.
Museveni highlighted that the establishment of a Ugandan clinker cement factory will save the country approximately $260 million USD annually in cement importation costs. He hailed Chinese investors for their continued reliable investments in Uganda, which he says are crucial for scaling up domestic mineral refining and industrialization.
The President emphasized the ten-year tax exemption for foreign investors and warned tax enforcement officers against breaching this provision. He expressed optimism about Karamoja’s potential to lead mineral and economic development, especially as efforts to expand mineral exploration in the region gain momentum.
Museveni also pointed out the region’s untapped mineral deposits, including hundreds of millions of tonnes of limestone, an essential raw material for cement manufacturing. He confirmed that plans are underway to establish another cement factory in Karamoja, leveraging these mineral resources.
Ruth Nankabirwa, Uganda’s Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, noted that the country has significantly increased its per capita cement production capacity through the five existing cement factories, including the recently commissioned Yaobai Cement Factory in Karamoja.
Peter Lokeris, Minister for Karamoja Affairs, stated that the NRM’s developmental strategy for Karamoja is beginning to bear fruit through substantial industrialization. He highlighted that the electrification of Karamoja with dedicated industrial power supplies has visibly accelerated development and encouraged local communities to embrace these progress initiatives for socioeconomic transformation.
Zang Jiewen, Chairperson of China West Cement, a conglomerate of Yaobai International Holding Cement, confirmed that Uganda’s high-quality cement inputs are capable of supporting high-end production. He committed to leveraging Yaobai Cement’s technologies and synergies to transform the construction industry and foster growth in line with national legal frameworks.
Koryang David, the LC5 Chairperson of Moroto District, described the transformation of the Karamoja sub-region through government-led industrialization as a “game changer.” He commended President Museveni for his strategic guidance and for integrating Karamoja into the national development agenda.
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