Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, an autonomous region of Iraq, laid the foundation stone of a cement factory in the capital city of the region, Erbil.
The plant, a collaborative venture between the Dabin Group and China Power Investment Corporation (PowerChina), nestles in the northern expanses of Erbil. It is slated to bolster the region's production capacity with an impressive output of 6,000 tons of cement per day. Strategically positioned at the foot of the Safin Mountain, the sprawling 43-hectare project site promises to be a beacon of industrial progress.
"This factory is destined to become one of the most significant in the Kurdistan region and will play a pivotal role in advancing the reconstruction efforts here," said Prime Minister Barzani in a speech be delivered during the ceremony.
"This establishment will provide hundreds of job opportunities for our young population. It is imperative that any new project in Kurdistan employ at least 75 percent local labor, thereby facilitating the training and upskilling of our regional workforce," Barzani added.
The premier highlighted his cabinet's endeavors toward diversifying its economic sources of income, with a strong emphasis on the industrial and agricultural sectors.
"Our region is rich in raw materials, which can form the bedrock for the development of new projects," Barzani continued.
Touching upon the import-heavy market in the region, Barzani suggested that many of these imported goods could be domestically produced, stimulating the industrial sector and creating further employment opportunities. He assured that his government is prepared to take necessary steps in this direction, indicating a strong commitment to nurturing domestic industrial growth.
Projected to generate 1,000 job opportunities during the construction phase, the endeavor also includes a 52-megawatt power plant. With a two-year completion timeline, the facility is poised to be a "strategic" asset for the Kurdish region in Iraq in the long term, according to Kamaran Dosky, the plant's Chief Executive Officer.
The event was attended by representatives from PowerChina and China Power Investment Corporation (Sinosure), along with prominent Kurdish ministries and government officials
