The price of gray cement has risen sharply in Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of DRC's Kasai Oriental province. According to local sources, a 50-kilogram bag has been selling for between $30 and $32 since last weekend, nearly double the price in Kinshasa and Haut-Katanga. The range represents an increase of 20% to 28% from the $25 seen a week earlier.

According to the same sources, the increase stems from tight supply on the local market following disruptions, particularly after the collapse of the Katongoka bridge in Haut-Lomami province on a route used to transport cement to Kasai Oriental. Reduced deliveries have led several warehouses in the city to run out of stock.

The cement market had faced supply pressures before. In June 2025, the price per bag rose from $24 to $27 in Mbuji-Mayi, linked to warehouse shortages and sustained demand from construction companies operating in the province.

At that time, the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC) cited logistical constraints, including disruptions to freight shipments from Greater Katanga due to limited availability of wagons from the National Railway Company of Congo (SNCC).

Under construction since August 2024, the Katanda cement plant is expected to help stabilize prices in the province. With an annual capacity of 300,000 tons, expandable to 1.2 million tons, the plant was scheduled to begin production in February 2026. But according to information gathered locally, that has not yet happened.

Boaz Kabey