Having soared to 15 USD Dollars over the past weeks, the price of a 50-kg bag of grey cement was brought down to 10-11 US Dollars in Matadi.
The reduction in cost has been attributed to a massive importation of cement as a result of the government lifting the ban which it had imposed on cement from neighbouring Angola. Several trucks transporting the construction commodity have crossed into the DRC from that country.
The ban imposed by the government stirred drew disagreement from Congolese entrepreneurs as it led to a spike in the price of a cement bag.
Economic analysts however fear that yet another increase of the cement cost may occur when the current stock imported in the country is used up.
A 50-kg bag of grey cement was selling at between 5 and 6 US Dollars in Matadi before the government ban.
In a country which is conducting large-scale infrastructures project, the cost of cement is a defining element in the cost of projects.