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By Cinderella Atenyo-Moroto
President Yoweri Museveni on Friday commissioned the first ever YAOBAI Cement Factory at Nadunget Sub-County in Moroto District. The Yaobai cement factory which has already started operating, produces 6,000 tones of Clincker on a daily basis producing composite and ordinary Portland cement that is widely used for construction in infrastructural projects like bridges, highways, railway and residential projects among other forms of construction.
President Museveni noted that the launch of this clinker cement factory will save Uganda’s 260 million USD importation budget for Clincker as a major raw material in cement production and commended the interim Chinese ambassador to Uganda Fan Xuechen, the former Ethiopia Premier Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe ho is also the Africa regional ambassador of West China Cement a conglomerate of Yaobai International holding Cement factory in Uganda and Ambrose Byoona, the Ugandan local partner in Yaobai Cement factory in Karamoja for the tremendous work and continued reliable investment option for Uganda that he says is aiding the scale up Uganda’s domestic mineral refinery and industrialization strides.
Museveni emphasized a ten-year tax exemption provision for foreign investors and warned tax enforcement officers against breach of that tax provision, banning tax on industrial raw materials including clincker used for cement production. He further explained how the region which was once lagging behind, now leads in mineral and economic development with more efforts to expand Mineral exploration with an unexploited different mineral deposits including hundreds of millions of tones of limestone upon which another cement factory is soon to be launched.
David Koryang, the Motoro District LC5 Chairperson says the transformation in Karamoja Sub region aided by government through industrialization is a clear game changer and thanked president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the strategic guidance and integration of Karamoja Sub region into the National development agenda.
On the other hand, Minister for Karamoja Affairs Peter Lokeris says the NRM strategy in prioritizing Karamoja development is yielding results through massive industrialization noting that the electrification of Karamoja with dedicated industrial power supply has made the area’s development visible and has rallied the people of karamoja to continue embracing the developments into their area for socioeconomic transformation as seen with the commissioning of Yaobai Cement factory in Karamoja Sub region that’s granting job opportunities and development to Karamoja.
Meanwhile, Minister for Energy and mineral Development Ruth Nankabirwa states that Uganda has significantly developed its per capita cement production capacity through the 5 existing cement processing factories in the country including the just commissioned Yaobai Cement factory. Nankabirwa said that the scaled up cement production in Uganda is lowering Uganda’s deficit for cement and reducing the country’s Balance of payment for cement while assuring the country of Uganda’s steady fast efforts to increase investments and employment opportunities through the mineral development sector.
Zang Jiewen, the board Chairperson of China West Cement a conglomerate of Yaobai International holding Cement in Karamoja confirmed that Uganda’s high quality cement inputs are capable high-end production of quality cement. He said the government of China is committed to Uganda’s development agenda through a win-win relationship that ensures development that benefits both countries and their citizens.
The commissioning ceremony attracted key partners and stakeholders, including top government officials, regional leaders, investors, private sector players, and cultural institutions, underscoring a collective commitment to inclusive growth and regional development.
The plant is owned by Yaobai International Holding Cement Uganda limited, valued at over USD 300 million (approximately Shs1.1 trillion), making it one of the largest industrial investments in Northern Uganda and a significant boost to economic activity in the Karamoja sub-region said to have reduced on the country’s reliance on imported clinker by over 2.5 million tonnes annually, strengthening supply chains within the construction sector while improving the availability and affordability of cement.
