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A new research by Morgan Stanley, a U.S. multinational financial services firm, has predicted that global cement demand will grow at an annualised rate of 4 percent between 2016 and 2020.   

In sub-Saharan Africa, India and South Asia, the investment firm said consumption will grow by more than five percent year-on-year over the same period. Indian demand will particularly expand at 6.7 percent YoY, according to the new Morgan Stanley research. The company said the global cement consumption growth does not include China where consumption is expected to fall by 1.2 percent YoY to 2020.

Morgan Stanley also observed that global capacity utilisation will hit 70 percent by 2019 and continue to rise in 2020. The company said this will improve the prospect of LafargeHolcim, the world's leader in the global building materials industry which also operates in emerging market nations that are expected to see strong consumption growth.

LafargeHolcim was formed in 2015, following the $50 billion merger of Lafarge – the French cement manufacturer – and Holcim – a Swiss-based building materials company.

The company’s subsidiary, Lafarge Africa Plc, controls four cement companies in Nigeria: Lafarge Wapco, based in Ogun State; AshakaCem, based in Gombe State; Atlas Cement, based in Rivers State; and United Cement Company of Nigeria (Unicem), based in Cross River State.