BUA Cement, Nigeria’s second largest cement company, has announced full year revenue of N209 billion in its unaudited financial accounts for the full year ended December 31, 2020, showing an increase of 19 per cent 2019.
Gross profit printed at N95.432 billion in 2020, indicating an increase of 16 per cent, compared with N82. 443 billion in 2019. BUA Cement Plc’s excellent cost management led to a decline of 33 per cent in net financing cost to N3.438 billion in 2020, from N5.192 billion in 2019.
Also, the focus on efficiency, a strong management team and newer technologically advanced plants resulted in an improved bottom-line with profit before tax (PBT) growing to N79.066 billion in 2020, up from N66.273 billion, while profit after tax (PAT) rose from N60.61 billion to N70.518 billion in 2020.
The performance consolidated BUA Cement’s position as one of Nigeria’s most profitable companies – a position it is expected to strengthen further with the inauguration of its new three million Metric Tonnes Sokoto Cement Plant in 2021 and the addition of three new lines of 9 million metric tonnes total capacity in Adamawa, Edo and Sokoto States by 2023.
Commenting, the Managing Director, BUA Cement Plc, E Yusuf Binji, said the exceptional performance in the 2020 financial year was a reflection of the continued value and strength of the BUA Cement brand and product offerings as well as a nod to the excellent implementation of the company’s Business Continuity Plan which ensured that the company was able to withstand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic throughout 2020.
“Despite the prevailing economic conditions in 2020, BUA Cement remains quite optimistic about the future because it affords us not only with the opportunity to further evolve our business model but also provides an opportunity for accelerated development. We will continue to push to new markets aided by a focused distribution strategy,” Binji had said.
BUA Cement in 2020 entered strategic alliances for the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at its Kalambaina Plant, Sokoto State, and for the management of its mining operations.
According to the company, given these deliberate and strategic choices amongst other cost management efforts, it will continue to combine development and innovation into its offerings and activities to drive efficiency, reduce operating costs and maximize profits.
Chairman of BUA Cement, Abdul Samad Rabiu, recently said that that despite the strides made in the Nigerian Cement Industry in the past few years, there was still room for immense growth.
According to Rabiu, Nigeria with its population of about 200million people was still greatly underserved by the Cement Industry with current consumption levels at about 130 kilogrammes per head compared to smaller African countries with consumption levels at about 170 to 180kilograms per head.
Nigeria’s cement consumption is expected to increase to about 200kilograms per head in coming years which is one of the reasons why BUA Cement is ramping up its investments in new plants to be able to meet this potential demand as well as take advantage of regional export opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement which came into effect in 2021.
– Thisday