Damascus-SANA
The participants in the Fourth Conference on Cement Industry Technology, which was held at the Cham Hotel in Damascus on its first day, discussed the reality and investment opportunities in the cement sector in Syria and ways to develop it to keep pace with its industry and products with international standards and meet current and future needs, especially the reconstruction phase.
Deputy Minister of Industry Ayman Khoury indicated in the opening speech that the government seeks to enhance investment opportunities and overcome all obstacles, and the Ministry of Industry’s interest in any initiative that would build a strategic partnership, especially in the cement sector, where a national company is rehabilitating and operating the Arab Cement Company in Aleppo, and negotiations are currently underway with investors about Other companies suspended or destroyed in order
to rehabilitate them and return them to production, explaining that the ministry announced 38 investment opportunities for its destroyed destroyed companies that have been suspended, believing in the need to participate with everyone to return production to all industrial facilities.
Khoury called on investors to take advantage of the conference to find the necessary solutions and partnerships to complete the construction and equipping of their factories in Syria.
In turn, the Director General of the Syrian Investment Authority, Madian Diab, explained that the authority grants the investment license, including all the approvals and licenses necessary to start the establishment of the investment project, without the investor's need to review any other party through its investor services center, which acts as a single window in the presence of representatives of the public authorities concerned with investment.
Diab indicated that revitalizing investment is a primary priority, and it is a joint responsibility among the various sectors concerned, because of its important role in developing the national economy through production and securing the local market's need of various commodities and materials and contributing to export, which ensures self-sufficiency and reduces the import bill under the conditions of forced economic measures. The imposed measures will have a positive impact on the
living conditions and provide more job opportunities.
For his part, the Director General of the Cement Corporation, Marwan Al-Ghubra, indicated that the conference is an opportunity to learn about new ideas locally and internationally and investment opportunities in the cement sector, with the presence of destroyed companies and others suspended and operating, and that each type of these companies has a special treatment and specific requirements, explaining that the suspended companies will re-study the special feasibility Either by reactivating it or changing it by manufacturing in the field
of building materials to serve the production process.
For his part, the head of the Iraqi Cement Manufacturers Association, Nasser Al-Madani, explained that Iraq’s participation in this conference aims to exchange technical expertise and see the latest scientific developments of the cement industry, which is currently witnessing a great development of production capacities in terms of quantity and quality, pointing to the success of the investment experience by the private sector and the partnership between the public sector The private sector in Iraq is in developing this industry and increasing production capacities.
Director of Omani Cement Group of Companies Saud Ali stressed the importance of participating in the conference to exchange experiences and benefit from the experiences of others, expressing readiness to cover the Syrian market with the products available to the group and to establish joint investments.
Export Director of the Jordanian Cementra Company, Qusay Hilal, pointed out that the Syrian market is very important for Jordanian companies to export cement in the reconstruction phase, and that his company is ready to enter Syria and meet its needs.
The Director of SimTech Group Gabriel Al-Ashhab referred to the large attendance at the conference, which discusses the promotion of public and private sector facilities with the aim of developing old factories, rehabilitating destroyed factories and working to move projects that have obtained licenses to build cement factories, whether black, gray or white, especially after the approval and recommendation of the Economic Committee on Inclusion of white cement in the import substitution program.
The Director of Policies at the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade Ghalia Obaid gave a presentation on the import substitution program and the advantages and incentives it provides, indicating the reasons for including white cement in the program, which is due to the lack of local production of it at the present time and the high imports during the last three years to about 233.129 tons, with a total value that reached the limits 22 million euros.
For his part, the geologist Samir Zahid explained the importance of oil shale and the possibility of using it in the cement industry, as it is used to produce electrical energy, and the remaining ash from it “burning products” was added to the clinker for the production of Portland cement.
The expert, Mazen Shnar, talked about how and the importance of investing solar energy in the industrial sector and the abundance it achieves at the costs of relying on electricity produced from fossil fuel plants, in addition to being environmentally friendly and contributing to a significant reduction in pollution.
Several companies offered the services and products they provide to the industrial sector in general and to the cement industry, providing it with the necessary technology, machinery and equipment.
He attended the opening and participated in the sessions of the first day of the conference, which was organized by SimTech Group in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade Rania Ahmed, and a number of directors of cement companies and central managers in the Ministry of Industry.
Ahmed Suleiman and Louay Hosamou
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