Rising cement imports threaten South Africa’s local manufacturers, PPC warns

South African cement manufacturer PPC has warned that rising cement imports could put further pressure on local producers, potentially undermining domestic production and investment.

PPC CEO Matias Cardarelli made the comments on September 29, 2026, as reported by Moneyweb, warning that continued growth in cement imports could push local producers to move production and investment to neighbouring countries.

The warning comes as PPC faces weaker demand and increased competition from imported cement, particularly from Mozambique and Vietnam, putting additional pressure on local manufacturers.

According to the report, PPC argues that continued import growth could make local cement manufacturing less commercially sustainable.

PPC warns on cement imports

PPC said continued growth in imports could affect the commercial sustainability of domestic cement production and influence where manufacturers choose to invest.

• “Producer PPC has warned that the domestic cement industry will be pushed to produce and invest in neighboring countries and bring cement from there into South Africa if the trend in cement imports continues,” the report read in part.

PPC CEO Matias Cardarelli said the industry could eventually respond by shifting production and investment into neighbouring countries where operating conditions may be more favourable, before bringing the cement back into South Africa to serve the local market.

• The concern comes as South African producers face imports from countries including Mozambique and Vietnam, with an anti-dumping application before the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) having progressed.
• PPC said a favourable outcome in the case would help restore fair competition between local manufacturers and importers while supporting continued investment, employment and industrial capacity in South Africa.

The company also reported weaker cement sales volumes in its South Africa and Botswana operations during the five months to August 2026. Elevated diesel costs, weak demand and aggressive price discounting by some competitors continued to put pressure on the market.

South Africa probes cement dumping

The pressure from imported cement comes against the backdrop of previous efforts to protect local manufacturers from cheaper imports.

The Ghanaian government had in June 2022 reportedly asked South Africa’s cement producers to commit to “no price increases” in return for government approval of “safeguard action” against cheap cement imports, particularly from China and Vietnam.

This raised doubts about the success of applications by several cement producers to ITAC for safeguard action.

More recently, Dangote Cement’s South African subsidiary, Sephaku Cement, was reported as being among local producers seeking protection from cheaper imports after South Africa’s trade regulator found prima facie evidence that cement from Mozambique and Vietnam was being dumped into the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) market.

ITAC said Sephaku Cement and Afrimat had provided sufficient evidence to justify an investigation into the alleged dumping, including claims that the imports were hurting local producers.

• ITAC found dumping margins of about 90 per cent for cement imported from Mozambique.
• The commission found a dumping margin of about 37 per cent for Vietnamese cement.
• The findings open the way for possible anti-dumping duties if the investigation confirms that the imports are being sold below their normal value and are causing material injury to domestic producers.

PPC’s warning comes as the investigation could determine whether additional trade measures are required to address the impact of imported cement on South African manufacturers.

Nigeria faces cement market scrutiny

Nigeria has also been examining conditions in its cement industry, although the focus of its regulatory action differs from South Africa’s approach to imported cement.

On August 18, 2026, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had opened an investigation into Nigeria’s cement industry over possible price manipulation following a three-month assessment of market conditions.

The Commission compared Nigeria’s cement market with those of South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, examining production capacity, consumption, population and access to raw materials.

• Nigeria had about 60–65 million tonnes of installed annual cement capacity.
• Domestic cement consumption was estimated at roughly 25–30 million tonnes.
• The investigation followed concerns over rising cement prices despite Nigeria’s substantial production capacity and local limestone resources.

The FCCPC said its assessment would help determine whether prices, output and other market outcomes were being driven by genuine competition or practices that could restrict competition.

The Nigerian case centres on pricing and competition, while PPC’s warning focuses on imported cement and the potential effect on local production and investment. Both developments, however, highlight the different market pressures facing cement producers across African economies and the responses from companies and regulators around pricing, imports, competition and domestic production.