Africa Cement Growth Meets CBAM and Low-Carbon Investment at 15th Africa Cementrade in Casablanca

Africa Cementrade 2026 examines market outlook, cement investment, CBAM, LC3, financing and low-carbon production in Casablanca, Morocco.

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Africa's cement industry faces mounting commercial pressure to expand production while reducing carbon intensity, improving energy efficiency and adapting to international carbon regulations. These challenges will frame the 15th Africa Cementrade Summit, organized by Centre for Management Technology (CMT) on 11–12 November 2026 in Casablanca, Morocco, where cement producers, investors, traders, financial institutions and technology providers will examine market outlook , low-carbon cement, LC3, digitalization and the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

The agenda reflects a changing investment environment in which production expansion, energy security, carbon compliance and operational competitiveness are increasingly interconnected. For African producers, the commercial challenge extends beyond adopting lower-carbon technologies to securing financing, controlling production costs and maintaining competitiveness in domestic and export markets.

CIMAT, part of the CIMAT/CIMAF Group, is the summit's Gold Sponsor. Its participation reinforces the summit’s focus on industrial performance and lower-carbon production across African cement operations. PENTOL GmbH and Wacker Chemicals Middle East are Silver Sponsors, while UTIS and CNBM Equipment Group Co., are Associate Sponsors. CBMI Construction Co., is the Evening Networking Reception Sponsor.

Mr Said Elhadi, President of the Association Professionnelle des Cimentiers (APC), will deliver the opening presentation, setting the stage for the one and half day event. Mohamed Yassine Ghilane, Corporate Digitalization & Performance Lead at CIMAT/CIMAF Technical Services, will examine how an industrial data platform can connect multiple cement production sites, improve operational visibility, and establish the foundations for advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.

Energy resilience is another central theme. Brahim Abnay, Environment & Alternative Fuels Manager at Ciments du Maroc (CIMAR) - Heidelberg Materials, is presenting the company's approach to industrial resilience through renewable energy and waste heat recovery.

Africa's cement investment outlook will be addressed by Philippe Richart, CEO of World Cement Association, and Dr. Oyekemi Oyelola, Acting Head - Sustainability at Dangote Cement Plc, will share industry strategy, production growth and sustainable industrial development. Abderrahim Taibi, General Director of IMANOR - Institut Marocain de Normalisation, will address Morocco's evolving technical, environmental and carbon performance standards for cement.

Financing Africa's cement expansion and decarbonization is also deliberated in a panel session steered by Jihane Errachidi, Chief Investment and Strategy Officer at Al Ajial Holding; Clovis AYEMOU, Senior Investment Officer, Private Sector - Industrial and Trade Development at African Development Bank (AfDB); and Thomas Pellerin, Hub Leader, Maghreb & West Africa, Industrials and Services at IFC, World Bank Group. Their discussion will examine green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, renewable energy financing, risk-sharing mechanisms, and the investment conditions required to make low-carbon cement projects commercially bankable.

The industrialization of calcined clay and Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) is also featured prominently. Ovic Mbi Mabiala, Country Director at CIMPOR Côte d'Ivoire, and Ismail Acar, Country Director at CIMPOR Ghana, will share CIMPOR's LC3 experience. Khalid Iben Khayat, Directeur Général - Pôle Industrie at YESHI Group, will examine the strategic and financial rationale behind the group's ongoing calcined clay cement project in Côte d'Ivoire.

Addressing the challenges of commercial-scale implementation, Kiranmai Sanagavarapu, Director, Low Carbon Solutions at Fuller Technologies, will examine why clinker substitution rates achieved in laboratory trials do not always translate into full-scale plant operations and the implications for cement plant design.

International trade and carbon regulation add another dimension to African cement competitiveness. A panel examining CBAM and the future of African cement will feature Philippe Richart of World Cement Association; Ayman Benkhalil, Corporate Sustainability Engineer at CIMAT/CIMAF; and Dan Maleski, Director at EY. Discussions will cover carbon reporting, the EU Emissions Trading System, emissions performance, green financing and potential opportunities for lower-carbon cement exports.

Regional market conditions, in particular cement growth, energy and logistics challenges, operational efficiency and circularity in East Africa will be addressed by Oliver M. Kirubai, MD at Amson Industries Tanzania Ltd. Trade and infrastructure considerations will be addressed by Dr. David Canabate, Chartering Broker at Auto Chartering SA, covering West African shipping and port development, and Juan Villarraga, Trading Manager South Europe & NW Africa, Cementitious Materials at EP Power Minerals, shares on changing cementitious-material trade flows and supply-chain risks.

From the construction sector, Imane Hanafi, E&S Manager at MCM SGTM-SOMAGEC JV, will address procurement, performance requirements, and the practical adoption of low-carbon cement in Morocco's infrastructure development.

Technology contributions will include combustion optimization from Victor Gomez, Business Developer Cement Segment of PENTOL, cement performance solutions from Dr. Dmitry Davydov, Technical Manager - Cement and Concrete Innovation Hub & Mayur Upadhyay, Sales Manager - Construction Chemicals & Coatings, Wacker Chemicals Middle East, hydrogen-utilization technology from Luis Novais, CCO – Chief Commercial Officer of UTIS - Ultimate Technology to Industrial Savings, and alternative fuels, LC3, oxy-fuel and CCUS solutions from Mr. Jaouad Takhdate, Sales Manager of CBMI Construction Co. Abdelilah Chater, Technical Director of Novacim will be moderating the afternoon session on 11 Nov. Senior Representative from CNBM Equipment Group Co., will also be contributing a presentation.

The 15th Africa Cementrade Summit, taking place on 11–12 November 2026 in Casablanca, will examine how Africa's cement industry can reconcile expanding production requirements with financing constraints, carbon regulation and the practical economics of low-carbon manufacturing. For more info visit: https://cmtevents.com/main.aspx?ev=261121&pu=314579

Media / Event Enquiries
Centre for Management Technology (CMT)
Email: grace@cmtconference.com
Tel: +65 6346 9147

Grace Oh
Centre for Management Technology
+65 6346 9147
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