In Liberia, construction of what would be, upon completion, the largest steel plant in West Africa has kicked off, the developer of the project Sethi Brothers Incorporated has confirmed.
The plant expected to cost US$22 million, is expected to be completed in four months.
Chief Executive Officer Sethi Paul also said that the plant will manufacturer steel from local scrap materials thus offering needed employment opportunities for over 1000 locals.The steel plant is being constructed in Montserrado County District-12.
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Sethi Brothers hopes that the mass production of steel rod from the factory will help reduce the price of the commodity on the local market and boost the country’s economy.
The new steel plant will specialise in the manufacture of squared pipes, steel round pipes, reinforcement steel bars and angle steels and services to meet the demand on the Liberian market and the West African sub-region.
But the chief executive also urged the government to put in place strict measures to ensure that no scrap metal leaves Liberia as raw material to foreign countries a move he said would deny local industry growth.
“We want the government to ensure that no scrap leaves the country as raw material so that it can be processed into steel with additional value,” he urged.
The factory, expected to be the largest steel plant in West Africa is being constructed by a Chinese construction company, Qinggle International Group Development Company Limited.
Construction of the factory is based on request the past Liberian government, then headed by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, made to boost the country’s industrial sector.