Morocco’s CIMAF invests $45 million in Gabon as Africa’s cement race intensifies

Africa’s race to control its own industrial future is accelerating, and Morocco’s CIMAF is placing one of its biggest bets yet on Gabon.

• Moroccan cement giant CIMAF is investing over $45 million to expand production in Gabon.
• The project comes ahead of Gabon’s planned 2027 ban on clinker imports.
• CIMAF is positioning Gabon as a future cement export hub for Central Africa.
• The move reflects a wider shift of industrial capital from struggling European markets into fast-growing African economies.

The Moroccan cement producer will invest more than $45 million in a major expansion of its operations in the Central African country, deepening a continental push to reduce import dependence and capture more value from Africa’s construction boom.

The investment includes a third cement production line at CIMAF’s Owendo facility near Libreville and a significant expansion of clinker production capacity, the critical raw material used in cement manufacturing.

The project was presented to Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema in Libreville by CIMAF chief executive Anas Sefrioui.

The timing is strategic.

From January 2027, Gabon plans to ban clinker imports as part of a broader industrial self-sufficiency drive launched after the 2023 military takeover that brought Oligui Nguema to power.

The policy is intended to force deeper local manufacturing, reduce foreign dependence and keep more industrial wealth inside the country.

For cement producers operating in Gabon, the message is clear: produce locally or risk losing relevance.

CIMAF is moving aggressively to stay ahead.

By producing clinker domestically instead of importing it, the company gains tighter control over costs, reduces exposure to global shipping disruptions and shields itself from volatile international commodity prices that have battered construction markets in recent years.

The expansion could also dramatically reshape Gabon’s position in Central Africa’s cement market.

Industry estimates suggest CIMAF Gabon’s annual production capacity could rise to about 1.85 million tonnes, far above the country’s estimated domestic demand of roughly 900,000 tonnes annually.

That surplus is not accidental.

CIMAF appears to be positioning Gabon as a regional export platform capable of supplying neighbouring Central African markets where infrastructure demand remains strong despite political instability and economic pressure across parts of the region.

The investment also reflects a wider strategic pivot by Sefrioui, one of Morocco’s most influential industrialists.

Earlier this month, CIMAF exited its only cement plant in France, retreating from a European market squeezed by rising energy costs, weaker construction activity and increasingly strict environmental regulations.

The company is now doubling down on Africa instead.

That shift highlights a broader trend reshaping global industry: while parts of Europe struggle with slower growth and high operating costs, African markets continue attracting manufacturers betting on urbanisation, infrastructure spending and long-term population growth.

CIMAF already operates across more than 10 African countries, including Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and Republic of the Congo.

Its expansion strategy is built on a simple but powerful economic reality: many African countries still import expensive industrial materials despite massive local demand.

Building integrated cement and clinker plants locally creates cost advantages that are difficult for competitors to replicate later, while also aligning with African governments increasingly focused on industrialisation, economic sovereignty and domestic value addition.

The stakes are enormous.

Cement sits at the centre of nearly every major development ambition across Africa, from roads, ports and railways to housing, factories and energy infrastructure.

Countries unable to secure reliable local supply remain vulnerable to external shocks, currency pressure and rising construction costs.

For Gabon, the CIMAF investment is about more than cement.

It is part of a wider attempt to transform the country from a resource-dependent economy into a more industrialised regional manufacturing player.

Forbes estimated Sefrioui’s net worth at around $1.4 billion in 2026, despite pressure on Morocco’s property sector from higher borrowing costs and slowing real estate demand.

But in Gabon, the billionaire’s latest gamble is ultimately a wager on Africa itself, its cities, its infrastructure boom and its industrial future.