Liberia’s cement production climbed 32.6 per cent quarter on quarter to 0.255Mt in the first quarter of 2026, giving the country’s construction-linked industries one of their clearest signs yet of recovery. The rise from 0.193Mt in the previous quarter also marked a 48 per cent increase from 172,590t in Q1 2025.
The timing matters because builders, suppliers and industrial producers are heading into the part of the year when dry weather usually allows more site work, and cement is often the first product to show it. In a market where a single shipment cycle or plant addition can quickly change output, the latest jump gives traders and contractors a stronger read on demand for the months ahead.
The increase was attributed mainly to stronger construction activity during the dry season and the addition of new production capacity. The Central Bank of Liberia also said construction-related industrial activity continued to grow during the review period, with higher output in pipes, varnish and thinner linked to seasonal building demand. Those gains matter because they suggest the pickup is not limited to cement alone; it is spilling into a wider band of manufacturing that depends on the same project pipeline.
Still, the rebound is coming off a weak base. Liberia’s manufacturing sector contracted by 2.8 per cent in 2025, and the recovery now expected in 2026 has to do more than one strong quarter. The central bank projects manufacturing growth of 5.0 per cent this year, with cement and beverage production expected to do much of the lifting, but the report does not say how long the new cement capacity has been operating or how much of the latest gain came from that extra supply.
For now, the number that stands out is 0.255Mt. If construction demand holds through the rest of 2026, Liberia’s cement producers may be signalling that the manufacturing slump has finally started to turn. The unanswered question is whether the increase reflects a temporary dry-season surge or the start of a broader, more durable expansion in industrial output.
