Sales at Dangote Cement’s Cameroon subsidiary declined significantly in 2025 following political unrest linked to the country’s presidential election, though the company expects demand to recover in 2026 as infrastructure projects advance.
According to audited financial statements reviewed by Business in Cameroon, the subsidiary of the conglomerate controlled by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote sold about 1.2 million tons of cement in 2025, representing a 14.1 percent decline compared with 1.4 million tons sold in 2024.
The drop amounts to roughly 200,000 tons in lost sales from the company’s plant in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital. The facility, located along the Wouri River, has an annual production capacity of approximately 1.5 million tons.
Dangote Cement attributed the slowdown to uncertainty surrounding Cameroon’s presidential election held in October 2025. The announcement of the official results triggered unrest in several cities, disrupting business activity and slowing construction demand.
Douala, which hosts the company’s production facility and serves as a major commercial hub, was among the areas most affected by the post-election tensions. The disruptions impacted construction projects and building material demand, contributing to weaker cement sales.
The decline in Cameroon also affected the group’s broader African operations. Dangote Cement reported that its pan-African sales volumes fell slightly by 1.6 percent in 2025, dropping to 11.0 million tons from 11.1 million tons the previous year.
The company said the weaker regional performance reflected political and economic uncertainties across several markets, including Cameroon, Senegal, and South Africa, as well as liquidity constraints in Ethiopia caused by delays in adopting the national budget.
Despite the drop in sales volumes, the group’s consolidated earnings remained relatively resilient in 2025, supported mainly by strong operations in Nigeria. However, profitability across Dangote Cement’s pan-African division declined.
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Pan-African earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) fell 14.8 percent to 294.1 billion naira (approximately CFA120.5 billion), representing a margin of 20.2 percent. In 2024, EBITDA stood at 345.3 billion naira (about CFA141.4 billion) with a margin of 23.3 percent.
The company said the decline reflects lower volumes in several key markets, including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa.
Despite the challenging performance in 2025, Dangote Cement remains optimistic about the outlook for Cameroon. The company expects demand for cement to rebound in 2026 as major infrastructure projects move forward across the country.
Among the key developments expected to boost cement demand is the construction of the Douala–Yaoundé Highway, along with several road and bridge projects currently underway nationwide.
Dangote Cement has operated in Cameroon since 2015 through its Douala plant, which ended a 48-year monopoly previously held by Cimenteries du Cameroun (Cimencam), the local subsidiary of LafargeHolcim Maroc Afrique.
Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its production capacity in Cameroon and other African markets as part of a broader regional growth strategy.
On February 28, 2026, Aliko Dangote signed a $1 billion agreement in Lagos with Chinese engineering firm Sinoma Engineering to support Dangote Cement’s expansion across multiple countries.
In Cameroon, two possible expansion options are under consideration. The company may increase capacity at its existing Douala plant or revive a long-delayed plan to build a new facility with similar production capacity in Nomayos, a project that has remained stalled for more than a decade.
Analysts say that if political stability improves and infrastructure investment accelerates, Cameroon could once again become one of Dangote Cement’s key growth markets in Central Africa.
