The prices of bags of cement marketed by the Nigerian company Dangote in Cameroon will see a drop, according to a new price list communicated on December 8, 2023 by the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.
According to this new measure, the 50 kg bag of Dangote Falcon 32.5R type cement will now be sold in Douala for 4,450 FCFA and in Yaoundé for 4,750 FCFA, a drop of 150 FCFA per bag. And the 50 kg bag of type 42.5R 3X cement from the same operator will be sold at 5,000 FCFA in Douala and 5,300 FCFA in Yaoundé, down by 100 FCFA per bag.
For the company Cimpor Cameroun SA, the Ministry of Commerce carried out a “first approval” on the prices of Type 42.5R Cement. At a rate of 5,000 and 5,300 FCFA per bag in Douala and Yaoundé respectively.
The Minister of Commerce specifies that this reduction “applies, to the appropriate extent, throughout the national territory”. Furthermore, “insofar as these prices are understood as maximum prices, not to be exceeded, the Minister of Commerce encourages distributors, according to their size and the inherent costs, to ensure customer loyalty and attract new customers through lower prices than approved,” the press release indicates.
This approval of cement prices at Dangote and Cimpor Cameroon is a continuation of that which had already been carried out on November 27 at other operators such as Cimaf, Cimencam and Mira. Among the latter, the Ministry of Commerce had announced a drop in prices which varied between 100 to 250 FCFA per bag and depending on the city.
In detail, Cimencam, local subsidiary of the LafargeHolcim Maroc Afrique group, agreed to reduce the price of a 50 kg bag from 32.5R by 150 FCFA. It must be sold at 4450 FCFA in Douala and 4750 FCFA in Yaoundé. For type 42.5R cement, the 50 kg bag drops by 100 FCFA and must be sold at 5,000 FCFA in Douala and 5,300 FCFA in Yaoundé. The Moroccan Cimaf makes the same reductions on the same bags of cement. Mira Cement, a subsidiary of the Lebanese-Chinese Mira group, reduces the price by 200 FCFA on the type 42.5R bag which should sell for 4,700 FCFA in Douala and 5,000 FCFA in Yaoundé. The type 32.5R bag is reduced by 150 FCFA in Douala and will cost 4150 FCFA there. It will be sold at 4,450 FCFA in Yaoundé, a reduction of 250 FCFA.
Reductions in cement prices obtained, according to the Ministry of Commerce, after consultation with cement manufacturers. This, following the drop in production costs.
SG