“I am pleased to present the 2017 Lafarge Zambia results on behalf of the Board of Directors. Lafarge Zambia continues to demonstrate resilience in operational and financial performance despite the economic difficulties and competitive environment.” These were the opening words in Board Chairman Muna Hantuba’s letter to the board in the 2017 annual report. The […]
If TFHZPC sat in one of the three boardrooms of Dangote, Lafarge Holcim and Zambezi Portland, we would have been deeply reflective of the ground breaking ceremony in Masaiti area Ndola that happened recently. The announcement that the Industrial Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) would be putting up over $500 million into construction of another […]
This year’s Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) elections were the most exciting albeit much anticipated in the financial sector. The elections ushered in a seasoned bean counter in Jason Kazilimani as its new president, and we believe that he and his KPMG team will be an exemplar in the game “auditing and compliance” in […]
When Dangote cement entered the construction value chain, we knew that incumbents were now faced with a formidable near rival who was (and still is) a Baumol player. A Baumol player is a company that possesses a management team that is keen on maximizing market share and revenue growth. It was clear when we conducted the 2015 review on […]
The Financial Times of Zambia is proud of the work it is engaged in. We have observed that many non-premier companies (of the SME flavor) in Zambia enter markets without understanding some of the factors that influence a firm’s profit potential. This can only be determined by assessing each industries profit potential because the profitability […]
After enjoying a brief hiatus over the festive season that was laden of copulas amounts of all manner of hedonistic treats, we clicked on the Lusaka Stock Exchange’s lead story of a trade suspension ergo “SUSPENSION OF TRADING IN LAFARGE, ISIN ZM0000000011”. Now before all the Christmas pudding you eat starts to dissolve quickly due […]
The years 2013 & 2014 will be remembered as the vintage years for the cement company. If you held stock in the company you would have enjoyed your highest dividend to-date at a whopping EPS of 2.12 in 2014. However this has cooled to lower than its 2012 eps albeit still in its expected range. […]
When we reviewed the 2015 annual performance of the only cement player on the LUSE, we indicated that they were in a price war with a player who had aggressive intentions of growing market share through using low prices and controlling or incorporating components of the vertical chain of cement distribution unlike incumbent competitors. As […]
Entering into a price war is usually a distant thought for the average Zambian entrepreneur. On the one hand, some often chose to ignore it and face certain doom over the long run (evidence from small businesses that have closed down due to failure to compete on price). Others on the other hand, chose to […]
Construction
