John Dramani Mahama on Thursday inaugurated what officials say is the world’s largest calcined clay cement plant, hailing the project as a milestone in Ghana’s push to expand manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
The US$110 million facility, developed by CBI Ghana, has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), a lower-carbon alternative to traditional cement.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Tema, Mahama said the investment signalled renewed confidence in Ghana’s industrial sector and demonstrated the country’s ability to host globally significant manufacturing projects.
“Today’s commissioning signifies more than just the opening of a factory,” Mahama said. “It marks yet another tangible step in Ghana’s industrial revival.”
The plant positions Ghana at the forefront of emerging low-carbon cement technologies, which aim to reduce emissions associated with conventional cement production.
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Traditional cement manufacturing accounts for roughly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, largely due to the energy-intensive production of clinker, the main ingredient in cement.
The new plant instead uses calcined clay and limestone to partially replace clinker, significantly lowering emissions while maintaining the structural strength required for construction.
Mahama said the innovation would allow Ghana to substitute imported clinker with locally sourced clay, reducing costs and retaining more value within the domestic economy.
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“Replacing clinker is expected to cut our import reliance by more than 10%,” he said, adding that the change could keep hundreds of millions of cedis circulating in Ghana’s economy.
The clay used in the process will be sourced locally, while the calcination process will be powered by natural gas supplied through Ghana’s domestic energy infrastructure.
Mahama said the project also illustrated the growing link between Ghana’s oil and gas sector and industrial manufacturing.
The government has recently signed agreements with partners in the Jubilee and Sankofa oil fields to expand gas production, helping supply energy to domestic industries.
The president said new investment commitments worth around $3.5 billion had been secured from upstream energy companies to increase gas production capacity.
Industry analysts say reliable gas supply is key to sustaining energy-intensive manufacturing sectors such as cement, steel and glass production.
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The new facility also has regional export ambitions.
Mahama said the cement produced at the plant would meet the rules of origin requirements under the African Continental Free Trade Area, enabling it to be exported across African markets.
“This positions Ghanaian cement to compete effectively in regional markets,” he said.
The plant will operate continuously throughout the year, aligning with the government’s broader “24-hour economy” strategy aimed at boosting industrial productivity.
According to project officials, the facility has created 109 direct jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs in logistics, supply chains and related services.
Mahama said expanding manufacturing capacity was central to Ghana’s economic transformation plans.
His government aims to increase the manufacturing sector’s share of gross domestic product to at least 15% by 2030.
Officials estimate that achieving the target could generate up to 500,000 additional jobs across the economy.
The commissioning comes as Ghana steps up efforts to diversify its economy beyond raw commodity exports.
Mahama said the vision echoed the industrialisation strategy championed by Ghana’s founding president, Kwame Nkrumah.
“Nkrumah recognised that Ghana’s prosperity would not come only from exporting raw materials,” Mahama said. “It would come from transforming those materials into value, jobs and national wealth.”
