Fibre Cement Board can bridge Nigeria’s housing deficit gap  – MD New materials coy

Nigeria’s current housing deficit is estimated at 17-20 million units. This deficit is partly driven by high cost of building materials among other factors. Recently, the Managing Director of New Material Nigeria Company Ltd, Mr. Jackie Dai Hui announced the introduction of a new product, Fibre Cement Board into the Nigerian market. This is a wholly owned Chinese firm. DAVID AGBA reports.

Deep rooted poverty

Increasing poverty, overpopulation and migration has put pressure on Nigeria’s housing woes thereby prompting the need for more advanced and cost efficient materials like the Fibre Cement Board.

The importance of housing is central to the welfare of the citizens of any society. Shelter makes up one of the basic needs of man and with a huge population of over 200 million people, Nigeria’s housing sector is expected to be very vibrant. With such a large market, it is predictable that housing needs would evolve to utilizing diverse materials designed to suit local needs.
Innovative products

The Fibre Cement Board whose manufacture in Nigeria is pioneered by a Chinese company, New Material Nigeria Company Ltd, is one of the innovative products introduced into the housing construction sector that promises to revolutionize the way houses are built in Nigeria. The product has the potential of transforming the building sector with qualities which suit building engineers and consumers.

Nigeria’s current housing deficit is estimated at 17-20 million units. This deficit is partly driven by high cost of building materials among other factors identified by professionals in the industry. Increasing poverty, overpopulation and migration has put pressure on Nigeria’s housing woes thereby generating a need for more advanced and cost efficient materials like the Fibre Cement Board.

A Fibre Cement Board or FCB is a composite board made of cement, cellulose fibre like paper pulp and quartz stones and sand. They are used in building construction as walls, partitioning, roofing and flooring. FCBs are hard, durable and resistant to weather corrosion. For the first time, these boards will be manufactured in Nigeria by a Chinese company.

The company, New Material Nigeria Company Limited, is a subsidiary of the Chinese group CNBM, China New Building Material group wholly owned by the government of China. It is a globally recognizable brand known for high quality building materials and diverse investment in cement, gypsum and solar energy. The company whose affiliates have been working in Nigeria and constructed Lafarge and Dangote factories are helping manufacturing industries set up with high quality and safety standards.

First of its kind abroad built by China

Speaking with journalists during a new product news briefing the MD, Jackie Dai Hui expressed delight at being involved in manufacturing in a country like Nigeria with such a vast market. He said, “It is a good opportunity for our company to enter Nigeria. That’s why we have to work together, share together to bring the immense advantages of this new material to the Nigerian people”.

According to him, the factory has a production capacity of 5 million square feet of Fibre Cement Board per annum while the second phase will feature an expanded capacity of 10 million square feet per annum.

“The uses of Fibre Cement Board in building construction is multifaceted. As internal wall partitioning, these boards provide excellent strength, soundproof and fireproof qualities that make them the preferable alternative. As exterior wall cladding, FCBs are weather-resistant and are highly energy efficient thus contributing to climate goals. As good insulators of heat and sound, they are preferred to the solid cement block or bricks commonly used.

Point of interest

“Expectedly, a major point of interest is the source of raw materials for the innovative Cement Fibre Boards. Devising a strategy of organic growth relying on local inputs, the company aims at long term business sustainability through viable partnerships with other local industries and players,” he added.

Essential materials

“We source locally”, says Dai Hui. “That’s why we have confidence to grow and stay in Nigeria.” Essential materials like paper pulp are sourced from Kano while locally manufactured cement are also utilized to produce the very high quality Cement Fibre Boards which are harder and more durable than other materials in its class. Quartz sand and stones are other important ingredients which are all entirely sourced locally.”

Capacity building

In terms of capacity building for local content, Hui maintains that the company which employs over 120 Nigerians also has Nigerians on its management team. Technical staff are given adequate manpower training and technology transfer is ensured through skill acquisition.

He further stated that the $50 million factory located in the Kuje Council also has capacity to train students on industrial attachment, expressing the company’s willingness to collaborate with Nigerian universities to conduct research on other similar products. Similarly, it brings its technical expertise to bear in making analysis and projections for Nigeria building material industry.

The presence of the factory in Nigeria holds the potential of $60 million savings for Nigeria, funds which would have left the shores of Nigeria in imports, he noted.

workable alternative

Made from raw materials like paper pulp, cement sourced locally, quartz stone etc, civil engineers have described Fibre Cement Boards as the workable alternative to gypsum boards. “It is the prefab product of the future,” says Noel Offor, a civil engineer. Use of the FCB drastically cuts cost of labour.  A product with an environmentally friendly composition, it is also water and fireproof. The latter quality makes it the product of choice where fireproofing concerns are high. FCB are choice materials for buildings like markets and malls, warehouses, offices and other public buildings where the risk of fires are higher.

Enthused on how the FCB can replace the gypsum board, Dai Hui said, “For gypsum boards, you have to import from abroad like Turkey but prices are really high and Nigerian government have to pay dollar abroad.  But now you have local factory in Nigeria, we source raw materials locally so we can produce in Nigeria in the name of Nigeria and we can export to ECOWAS, to Europe to America.”

Gypsum import
“Gypsum imports from three countries alone Turkey, Spain and Egypt are worth over $132 million a year. Locally produced Fibre Cement Board is an alternative to this flight of scarce foreign exchange.”

Local source of materials

Expectedly, a major point of interest is the source of raw materials for the innovative Cement Fibre Boards. Explaining his company’s strategy, Hui said, “The reason we can grow in Nigeria is because we source everything in Nigeria. It is made in Nigeria. And we can also use this material to make Nigeria proud through Nigerian product.”

Devising a strategy of organic growth relying on local inputs, the company aims at long term business sustainability through viable partnerships with other local industries and players. 

“We source locally,” says Hui. “That’s why we have confidence to grow and stay in Nigeria.” Essential materials like paper pulp are sourced from places like Kano while locally manufactured cement are also utilized to produce the very high quality Cement Fibre Boards which are harder and more durable than other materials in its class. Quartz sand and stones are other important ingredient which are all entirely sourced locally.”

Flagship product

 The innovative nature of the company’s flagship product, Fibre Cement Board, has necessitated the need to create new standards for such a new material. Thus, the company is working closely with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to develop new protocols for assessing standards for Fibre Cement Boards.

Narrating this, Dai Hui said, “When we came to do business here, we go (sic) to the standards authority but they could not find this item Fibre Cement Board on their list. It is a new product. So we were able to help the Nigerian govt make new standards for this new material in Nigeria”. This increases SON’s overall technical competence and provides an invaluable learning curve for standards assessors in Nigeria.

Industrial safety is of prime concern for the management. Health and safety practices are of utmost importance in the factory as extensive safety systems are put in place. Fire prevention measures and the mandatory use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are among safty measures on ground, he said.
 
Corporate Social Responsibility

Being a commercial interest vying for a share in the local market, New Material Nigeria Company has adopted a warm, friendly face within its community of operations. It has provided boreholes, roads and carried out school renovations. Unlike many foreign-owned companies operating in Nigeria, New Material Nigeria Ltd makes active effort to provide incentives like food and provisions to Nigerians during festivals. “Because we get from Nigeria, we have to share with Nigerians,” quipped Dai Hui. 

On future projects, the company plans to build a new factory in Lagos for export while retaining the Abuja factory for production for domestic use.