Cement business in Tanzania is a fast growing opportunity. This is attributed to by the growing building and construction sector. With substantial infrastructure and numerous housing projects, the country leads East Africa in cement business.
Types of Cement Produced in Tanzania (Product)
The main cement products produced and supplied in Tanzania are:
1. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
Ordinary Portland Cement also known as OPC is a type of cement that is manufactured and used worldwide. It is widely used for all purposes including:
- Concrete: When OPC is mixed with aggregates and water, it makes concrete, which is widely used in the construction of buildings
- Mortar: For joining masonry
- Plaster: To give a perfect finish to the walls
Cement companies in Tanzania offer OPC in three different grades, namely grades 33, 43, and 53.
Besides the aforementioned purposes, Ordinary Portland cement is also used to manufacture grout, wall putty, solid concrete blocks, AAC blocks, and different types of cement.
2. Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
To prepare PPC or Portland Pozzolana cement, cement manufacturers in Tanzania grind pozzolanic clinker with Portland cement.
PPC has a high resistance to different chemical assaults on concrete. It is widely used in construction such as:
- Marine structures
- Sewage works
- Bridges
- Piers
- Dams
- Mass concrete works
3. Rapid Hardening Cement
Cement suppliers in Tanzania also offer rapid Hardening cement. Rapid Hardening Cement is made when finely grounded C3S is displayed in OPC with higher concrete.
It is commonly used in rapid constructions like the construction of pavement.
4. Extra Rapid Hardening Cement
As the name suggests, Extra rapid hardening cement gains strength quicker and it is obtained by adding calcium chloride to rapid hardening cement.
Extra rapid hardening cement is widely used in cold weather concreting, to set the cement fast. It is about 25% faster than that of rapid hardening cement by one or two days.
5. Low Heat Cement
Cement manufacturers in Tanzania offer low heat cement that is prepared by keeping the percentage of tricalcium aluminate below 6% and by increasing the proportion of C2S.
This low heat cement is used in mass concrete construction like gravity dams. It is important to know that it is less reactive and the initial setting time is greater than OPC.
6. Sulfates Resisting Cement
This type of cement is manufactured to resist sulfate attack in concrete. It has a lower percentage of Tricalcium aluminate.
Sulfates resisting cement is used for constructions in contact with soil or groundwater having more than 0.2% or 0.3% g/l sulfate salts respectively.
It can also be used in concrete surfaces subjected to alternate wetting and drying like bridge piers.
7. Quick Setting Cement
Cement suppliers in Tanzania also offer quick setting cement which sets faster than OPC but the strength remains the same. In this formula, the proportion of gypsum is reduced.
Quick setting cement is used for constructions that need a quick setting, like underwater structures and in cold and rainy weather conditions.
8. Blast Furnace Slag Cement
This type of cement is manufactured by grinding the clinker with about 60% slag and it is similar to Portland cement. It is used for constructions where economic considerations are important.
9. High Alumina Cement
High alumina cement is obtained by mixing calcining bauxite and lime with clinker during the manufacturing process of OPC.
To be considered high alumina cement, the total amount of alumina content should be at least 32%, and the ratio of the weight of alumina to lime should be kept between 0.85 to 1.30.
The most common uses are in constructions that are subject to high temperatures like a workshop, refractory, and foundries.
10. White Cement
This type of cement is manufactured by using raw materials that are free from iron and oxide. White cement needs to have lime and clay in a higher proportion. It is similar to OPC but it is more expensive.
Users (Customers and Consumers) of Cement in Tanzania (Demand)
As is the case worldwide, retail market (mainly housing) is still dominating cement consumption in Tanzania. Over 60% of all cement produced in Tanzania is consumed for residential and commercial houses.
Infrastructure projects uses 20% of all the cement produced and the remaining 20% is used by the mining sector for various construction works in the mines.
Cement Manufacturers (Cement Companies) in Tanzania (Supply)
Tanzania has 14 cement producing companies which have a joint production capacity of 10.6 million tons per year.1 Production volumes of cement in Tanzania (in metric tons).2
- ARM Cement Tanzania Limited – Huaxin Cement – Dar es Salaam and Tanga
- Camel Cement Company – Mbagala Dar es Salaam
- Dangote Industries Tanzania – Mtwara
- Kilimanjaro Cement Limited – Tanga
- Kisarawe Cement Company Limited – Kisarawe
- Lake Cement Limited – Kimbiji Dar es Salaam
- Lee Building Materials Limited – Lindi
- Mbeya Cement Company Limited – Lafarge Mbeya
- Mtwara Cement Limited – Mtwara
- Rhino Cement – Dar es Salaam
- Sinoma and Hengya Cement Tanzania – Tanga
- Tanga Cement Plc – Tanga
- Tanzania Portland Cement Limited – Wazo Hill Dar es Salaam
Trend & Performance of Cement Business in Tanzania
Trend of Cement Business
The cement business in Tanzania has been growing fast year on year. The volume was 2.8 million metric tons in 2014. This jumped to 6.5 million metric tons in 2019.
Such substantial business growth is a result of a growing building and construction sector characterised by noticeable infrastructure projects like SGR Project, Stiglers Gorge Hydro Power Project and numerous housing development projects.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8 million | 3.1 million | 4.0 million |
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 4.2 million | 4.5 million | 6.5 million |
Demand for cement went up steeply since end of 2020 as a result of execution of major government infrastructure projects including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the 2,115MW Mwalimu Nyerere Hydropower Project
Imports of Cement to Tanzania
Trend of imports of cement to Tanzania from the year 2007 to the year 2018.
Exports of Cement from Tanzania
Top four major export destinations of of cement from Tanzania in 2018:
| Country | Export Value (Million USD) | % Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rwanda | 8.69 | 64% |
| DRC | 2.71 | 20% |
| Burundi | 1.1 | 8.23% |
| Malawi | 0.665 | 4.94% |
The four major types of cement exported in 2018 comprised of:
| Country | Export Value (Million USD) | % Share |
|---|---|---|
| Portland cement | 12 | 89% |
| Cement clinkers | 1.21 | 9% |
| White cement | 0.193 | 1.43% |
| Aluminous cement | 0.039 | 0.295% |
Trend of of exports of cement from Tanzania from the year 2007 to the year 2018.
How to start cement business in Tanzania
Cement business falls under hardware business, so if you want to start a cement business, we advise that you read our howto guide on how to start a hardware shop in Tanzania. Click here to read the guide.
Resources
- https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/tanzania-government-orders-probe-into-cement-crisis-3019354
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Annual%20Report/en/2020123112264444.pdf
 Kessy Juma is the founder of Miamia Trading Company (miamiatz). He is a Techpreneur with roots in accountancy. He believes that any business is good as long as it caters to the right market using the right strategy. 
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