Ethio-China cement forum kicked off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 8, 2017.
Speaking at the opening of the three-day forum, Dr Alemu Sime, State Minister of Industry, said Ethiopia has raised its annual cement production capacity to 13 million tons.
At present, the country is exporting cement to its neighbors after meeting its local demand, which is growing by 10 percent annually, he said.
Besides saving foreign currency, the increase in cement production capacity allowed the country to generate foreign currency earnings and stabilize local market. It also allowed the nation to implement mega infrastructure projects, he said.
In order to address the skilled manpower shortage in the cement industry, the government has designed a national cement technology road map.
Centers of excellence in cement technology were established at the Addis Ababa and Adama Science and Technology universities as well as at the newly established Ethio-bio technology institute, he said.
The forum will continue for three days, including today.
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