ROCKCEM Building Songo Warehouse to Expand Cement Distribution Beyond Freetown

ROCKCEM (SL) Ltd is constructing a modern cement warehouse at Sumbuya in Songo as part of an expansion intended to bring its products closer to customers outside Freetown.

The company expects the facility to become operational in November 2026. Once open, wholesalers, retailers, contractors, developers, distributors and individual builders will be able to collect RC BRAND CEM II 42.5 R Cement directly from Songo, according to ROCKCEM.

Distribution closer to customers

ROCKCEM says the warehouse will reduce the need for provincial customers to travel to Freetown to obtain cement. The company also anticipates that shorter collection routes could help lower transportation costs for businesses and other buyers.

The Songo location is expected by the company to ease road congestion associated with cement transportation from Freetown. Depending on their routes, some customers may also need to pass only the Masiaka Toll Gate, potentially reducing repeated toll-gate expenses.

To support direct deliveries and distribution across Sierra Leone, ROCKCEM says it has assembled a fleet of approximately 50 vehicles.

Broader infrastructure investment

The Songo warehouse forms part of a wider programme involving a cement grinding mill, additional warehousing, logistics, local repackaging and processing infrastructure. ROCKCEM puts its total planned investment in the expanded operations at approximately US$60 million.

The company attributes the increase in its planned investment to changes in the global economic environment, inflation, higher construction and equipment costs, and the expansion of its operations.

ROCKCEM says the planned grinding mill will be capable of producing more than 60,000 packaged 50-kilogram bags of cement per day. The company is also positioning RC BRAND CEM II 42.5 R Cement as a product focused on strength, consistency, reliability and lasting performance.

ROCKCEM has said it wants to develop RC BRAND into one of the strongest and most competitive cement brands in Sierra Leone. Its company message for the product is: “RC BRAND 42.5 R Cement — Build Stronger. Build to Last.”

The company operates from its head office at 13B Bai Bureh Road, Texaco, Old Road, Freetown. It says the expansion is intended to improve cement accessibility and delivery times as construction activity grows across the country.