The cement industry in Arab countries has seen great advances with an annual production of 270 million tonnes, participants at the 19th Conference and International Exhibition of the Cement Industry recently highlighted in Marrakech.

Cement industry companies in the Arab world have the capacity to ensure self-sufficiency and thus aspire to increase their production capacity to 290 million tonnes annually, indicated professionals in the sector, affirming that this industry has become an important lever for socio-economic development. Speaking at the opening of this conclave (11-13 November), the Vice-President of the Arab Union for Cement and Building Materials, Hassan Rateb, noted that the cement industry in Arab countries, however, faces several challenges related, in particular, to rising transport costs, high investment costs, in addition to environmental issues.