Ohorongo cement still banned by Angola

THE Angolan government has not yet officially lifted the ban on the import of cement and other products from Namibia.

The ‘partial’ moratorium placed on the importation of cement from Namibia into Angola last year was to be lifted by the end of 2011.Instead, the Angolan government is issuing licences to Angolan companies permitting them to import cement and other products such as maize and fish, amongst others, from Namibia.Yvonne Hass, personal assistant to Ohorongo Cement managing director Hans-Wilhelm Schutte, said nothing official has been communicated to them yet regarding the ban.’The Angolan government gives licences to some companies to import cement from Namibia until there are further developments,’ she said.’The whole purpose of the issuance of licenses, nobody knows,’ Hass said Tuesday.The ban has cost Ohorongo N$2,5 billion so far.In June last year, the Angolan government banned the importing of cement from Namibia, particularly cement that is used for building purposes.The government said the ban became necessary because of an oversupply of cement in that country. However, other types of cement, such as that used for tiling, could still be imported from Namibia to Angola. The sudden announcement left long-haul trucks from Namibia stranded at the Namibia/Angola border that month, and irked many businesspeople involved in the production and distribution of cement, especially those who have supply contracts with institutions and companies in Angola.Ohorongo’s business proposal was based on exporting cement to southern Angola before expanding to some other countries in southern Africa. The factory is expected to produce 700 000 tonnes of cement per annum, with some 250 000 to 300 000 tonnes destined for southern Angola. – Nampa