Ohorongo Cement has to date supplied 24 604 tonnes of cement towards the construction of the first-ever airport at St Helena island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Carina Sowden, marketing and communications manager at Ohorongo Cement, said in an interview this week that the project, worth £270 million is developed by Basil Read and covers construction of the St Helena Airport and Permanent Wharf. The project is planned to be completed by February 2016.

"Supply will continue until the project has been completed," the company said in response to written questions. Ohorongo currently exports to southern Angola, Botswana, Zambia and DRC.

"Exports are currently from a low volume base. The first priority for Ohorongo Cement remains supply of cement to the local Namibian market," the company said.

Some of the projects the company is supplying locally at the moment are Husab Mine, Neckertal Dam, Walvis Bay Namport Harbour Project, the acid plant at Tsumeb and construction projects in Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"Yes, we are meeting the current demand and we would be able to also supply should demand increase. Supply from Ohorongo Cement has never been an obstacle. On the contrary, more than sufficient cement is available to assist in starting new projects," she said.

She said Ohorongo always regards competition as a good thing but only if competition is fair and playing fields are equal for both local suppliers and imports.

"Imports normally do not have any of the overheads to cover compared to that of local investors. Ohorongo Cement is not a short-term investment but an investment for the next generation," she said.

The company enjoys infant industry protection awarded by the government in 2013 for eight years. The imports decrease every year.

The company recently announced that the Development Bank of Namibia has increased its stake to 11,72%.