Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Outlook

The Africa green cement and concrete market size reached around USD 537.01 million in 2023. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.7% between 2024 and 2032, reaching a value of USD 1,340.63 million by 2032.

Key Takeaways

• Africa has the presence of more than 4.6 million square meters of EDGE-certified floor space.

• Reportedly, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the population is estimated to double by 2050, offering a USD 768 billion investment opportunity for green future construction until 2030.

• The green-certified office buildings in South Africa showcase a 4.5% lower electricity usage, and 14.3% lower water usage per square metre as compared to non-certified office buildings.

Green Cement is an eco-friendly cement that employs a carbon-negative method of production. The primary raw materials utilised in the production of green cement are typically wastes that have been discarded by various industries. Commonly used industrial wastes for green cement production include slag and fly ash. Green cement construction offers substantial benefits by minimising industrial waste disposal which tends to be a substantial contributor to land pollution.

Countries in Africa are heavily investing in construction projects, both infrastructure and superstructure. The construction industry is among the rapidly growing sectors on the continent. The rising population and urbanisation in the continent are contributing to the strong growth of the construction sector. The increasing demand for sustainable building and construction materials supports the Africa green cement and concrete market expansion.

Figure: Size of the Construction Market, 2023, USD Trillion

Key Trends and Developments

Significant presence of raw materials; the expanding construction sector; rising importance of green building materials and their manufacturing; and the expansion of affordable housing are the major factors impacting the Africa green cement and concrete market growth

Nov 2, 2022

With the aim of minimising cement manufacturer’s carbon emissions, East African Portland Cement Plc launched a new product named Green Triangle Cement.

Sep 19, 2022

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and the United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLG Africa) signed a MoU. The agreement made during Africa Climate Week 2022 in Gabon aims to increase collaboration towards decarbonising the cement and concrete industries in Africa by working to ensure that the cities in the continent have more capacity to embrace innovative cement products.

Jul 19, 2022

Holcim’s local subsidiary Lafarge South Africa (SA) launched its lower-carbon cement ECOPact to the domestic market, which has products with a lesser carbon emission of 30% to 100% against the CEM I – Portland cement.

Availability of local raw materials

There is a high availability of a variety of local raw materials for use in cement and concrete production in Africa. The potential of agricultural wastes and natural mineral resources as supplementary cementitious materials, fibrous constituents, and chemical admixtures are anticipated to be significant for the local market growth.

Robust growth of the construction sector and increasing construction of green buildings

The rapidly growing construction sector owing to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation is expected to propel the use of green concrete in buildings, roads, and mass construction projects. With interest and commitment growing in sustainability and energy efficiency for both buildings and infrastructure, the demand for green cement in Africa is anticipated to increase in the coming years.

Rising focus on green manufacturing

Cement manufacturers are replacing energy-intensive clinkers with substitutes, such as natural and artificial pozzolans like energetically modified cement and calcined clays, aiding the production of green building materials.

Improvements in affordable housing in Africa

There is a rising interest in Africa for affordable housing, primarily driven by a growing population. Multiple mortgage liquidity facilities are being established in Kenya, Francophone West Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Egypt that are promoting affordable housing in the region.

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Trends

The World Green Building Council is putting in efforts to increase the sustainability of Africa’s commercial property sector. For instance, in South Africa, the Council is promoting green building practices by providing the necessary tools, training, and knowledge to Africans. Members of the Green Building Councils (GBCs) across the region include South Africa, Mauritius, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Namibia.

In the African region, there is a growing development of larger and more complex construction projects owing to rapid urbanisation, economic growth, a growing middle-class population, and regional integration. Further, the expanding population has increased the demand for affordable housing and schools in Africa. Reportedly, the continent saw an increase in construction projects by 20% in 2021 from 385 projects in 2020.

The demand for cost-effective, sustainable alternatives to traditional cement has supported the use of green cement to produce mortar for brick and block; and laying, rendering, plastering and repair works.

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Market Segmentation

“Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032” offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:

Market Breakup by Type

• Green Cement

• Green Concrete

Market Breakup by Raw Material

• Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag Based

• Fly Ash Based

• Silica Fume Based

• Others 

Market Breakup by End Use

• Residential

• Commercial

• Infrastructure

• Industrial

Market Breakup by Countries

• Egypt

• Nigeria

• Algeria

• South Africa

• Morocco

• Kenya

• Others

Based on type, green cement dominates the Africa green cement and concrete market share while the green concrete segment is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities to the market

There is a huge potential to boost the production of green cement in Africa owing to the abundance of clinker substitutes, such as fly ash, and slag, in South Africa and Nigeria, and calcined clay in West Africa.

Meanwhile, the abundance of industrial, agricultural, and natural waste materials, such as fly ash, rice husk ash, corncob ash, sugarcane bagasse, and volcanic ash, provides easy accessibility to raw materials for green concrete manufacturers.

The rising urbanisation in Africa is necessitating a high amount of concrete, providing an opportunity to convert the abundant agricultural waste materials into sustainable concrete.

Based on raw material, ground granulated blast-furnace slag based products account for a significant share of the Africa green cement and concrete market

As ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) is a low CO2, high-quality material, it has aided the development of green concrete to facilitate sustainable construction. Additionally, due to its excellent self-cementing properties, finely grounded granulated blast-furnace slag has been used to produce durable green concrete.

Further, there is also a surge in awareness regarding the benefits of fly ash in reducing the carbon footprint and cost of concrete while improving its workability and strength.

As power plants in countries like Morocco and South Africa produce a large amount of fly ash, it can potentially aid in developing geopolymer concrete, such as pre-cast heat-cured structural elements for buildings, further supporting the Africa green cement and concrete market growth.

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Competitive Landscape

The market players are focusing on expanding their geographical presence by continuously innovating their product range and launching cement and concrete with low CO2 emissions.

East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC)

East African Portland Cement Company is Kenya's leading cement manufacturer offering products for the construction sector for housing, education, health, tourism, transport, and communication.

Buzzi Unicem S.p.A.

Headquartered in Italy, Buzzi Unicem manufactures, distributes, and sells cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates. The group has manufacturing plants in several countries, which also represent the natural outlet for its goods and services.

PPC Ltd

PPC Ltd is a leading producer of cement and related products in South Africa with seven integrated cement plants and seven grinding stations, two fly ash plants and five aggregate quarries.

Suez Cement Group of Companies

Suez Cement, a subsidiary of HeidelbergCement, is one of the largest cement producers in Egypt with four production facilities across Suez, Kattameya, Tourah, and Helwan.

Other notable players operating in the Africa green cement and concrete market are Afrisam (South Africa) Properties (Pty) Ltd, Holcim Ltd, and CEMEX S.A.B. DE C.V., among others.

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Analysis by Countries

Increased consumption of construction materials has generated considerable carbon emissions, particularly with the production of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). As a result, conventional concrete has been replaced with green concrete in the Egyptian residential sectors for non-structural concrete applications, thus contributing to the Africa green cement and concrete market development.

As Nigeria’s population continues to grow and get wealthier, its construction sector is anticipated to witness steady growth. The development of new projects provides an opportunity for the incorporation of green cement to build more environmentally friendly structures in the country.

Additionally, large amounts of fly ash, a raw material for green cement manufacturing, are produced by industrial plants in the region. The use of this waste is expected to increase, to prevent environmental degradation and pollution caused by disposing of it in landfills.

Key Highlights of the Report

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Report Snapshots

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Size

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Trends

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Companies

Africa Green Cement and Concrete Market Regional Analysis