Kingdom of Bahrain, Manama, 1st December 2010: Cemena Holding Company, a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) based cement holding company specializing in the cement industry, today signed an agreement with Sinoma CBMI Construction Company Ltd. a subsidiary of Sinoma group to commence construction of a Cement plant in Syria, at a ceremony held at the company headquarters in Bahrain.

The plant, which will be Cemena's second after (Falcon) a cement plant in the Kingdom of Bahrain; the design production capacity of the plant is   6400 tons per day with two production lines, 3200 tone per day of each production line. The construction of phase one will start in January 2011 and it is expected that the initial production will start in 18 months.  The plant is strategically located in Jabal Al Kahlah - half way between the Syrian Capital, Damascus and Syria's second largest city of Homs, and only 150km from the Iraqi border. The plant will benefit from huge demand in the fast growing Syrian market and it will also supply neighboring countries such as Iraq where state infrastructure projects, and private sector development have created substantial demand for cement.

Following the signing of the agreement, Mr. Hisham Alrayes, Chairman of Cemena Holding Company, commented: "We are delighted to reach yet another significant milestone in building our business. By adding this asset to our portfolio we are building a track record and creating further value for our shareholders. Following successful completion of our plant in Bahrain last year, we are now building one in Syria on one of the highest reserves of limestone in the country. Another announcement will be made soon for signing a further  agreement to build a plant in North Africa which will enable us to cover the MENA region and tap into another highly growing market''

''Sinoma CBMI is one of the largest specialists in the construction of cement plants in China; the company has a proven track record and vast expertise in cement plant construction. It gives us great pleasure to be working with Sinoma CBMI and we look forward to a prosperous relationship going forward. I would like to also express my sincere gratitude to the Syrian government, the investment authority, the ministry of commerce and all the parties involved whom have supported this initiative and facilitated for it to take a step today''

Mr. Tong Laigou, General Manager of Sinoma CBMI Construction Company Ltd, " We are happy today to conclude the signing and mark this partnership with Cemena following  12 months of tendering and negotiation. Cemena is a highly professional company with a great potential for growth and we are pleased to be granted this opportunity of starting a relationship with the company. We look forward to further expanding the relationship through building plants in other locations which we are currently studying along their side".

Mr. Salah Sahrif, Acting CEO of Cemena Holding Company, Said: "Cement consumption in Syria is increasing by 5.2% per annum due to the increasing number of real estate and infrastructure projects, and we aim to fill the gap in this growing market. We are extremely pleased to be establishing a plant in such a market as being one of the best in our portfolio covering Syria and Iraq.''

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About CEMENA
CEMENA is the first holding company in the Kingdom of Bahrain that focuses on developing cement plants in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It was founded by a number of financial institutions and private investors with a vision of the future - to become a creator of cement companies in the MENA region which enables the development of infrastructure and real estate.

The company launched in 2008 with the aim of establishing one of the largest cement holding companies in the MENA region. By capitalizing combined resources and capabilities of its shareholders, CEMENA is targeting high growth cement markets with sustainable growth that creates value for the shareholders. The primary focus of CEMENA is to secure entry markets across the MENA region with favorable market conditions.

CEMENA has already started production in the Kingdom of Bahrain through Falcon Cement Company, the first integrated cement plant in Bahrain. CEMENA also established United Arab Cement Company in Syria and Libya Investment Cement Company in Libya.

About Sinoma CMBI:
Sinoma CBMI is a general contractor with a history of nearly 50 years, enjoying the nationally recognized Class A qualification as general project contractor as well as the rights to deal with foreign trade. A subsidiary of Sinoma International Engineering Co., Ltd, a listed company of China National Materials Group Corporation, and headquartered in Tangshan City of Hebei Province, Sinoma CBMI has a branch company in Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, which consists of overseas business department and technical design center, among others. Sinoma CBMI has been accredited by ISO9000 quality management system (including UKAS and TGA)and ISO14000 environmental management system, constantly enjoying a credit rating of AAA.

Sinoma CBMI primarily deals with general contracting of cement production line construction projects and provides one-stop integrated services based on EPC or EP model throughout project lifecycle from consulting, design, R&D, equipment manufacturing, civil engineering and installation, commissioning and after-sales service for cement production lines of various sizes, according to specific needs of customers and physical circumstances.

For further information please contact:
Amal Turki
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +973 17538538
Email: aturki@gfh.com

© Press Release 2010