Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Carlo Pesenti, Italcementi CEO, during the signature of Suez Cement's  "Golden Book".

“We are proud that through our production operations in Egypt we can support the efforts and undertakings of the Italian Government to strengthen trans-Mediterranean co-operation. Prime Minister Prodi’s visit to Cairo", commented Mr Pesenti, in his capacity as an entrepreneur active in Egypt and Co-Chairman of the Italian-Egyptian Business Council, “reflects Italy’s interest in Egypt not only as an outlet for its goods, but above all as a partner for important new initiatives. A process that we too have been developing successfully over the last few years.”

Prime Minister Prodi also took the occasion to write the first message in the company's "Golden Book". "I am very pleased to inaugurate this ' Golden guests book' of a company that has a growth strategy that should be a model for many other Italian companies."

The Italcementi Group has been active in Egypt since 2001. Today, through its subsidiary Suez Cement, one of the largest non-oil international investments, it is the leading player in the construction materials industry. Suez Cement has market shares of nearly 30% in grey cement and approximately 50% in white cement.
“So far we have invested around 900 million dollars in the cement business alone. More recently we expanded our operations to ready mixed concrete, through a partnership with the main local producer,” added Mr Pesenti.
“Our current focus is on new investments to equip Suez Cement’s industrial facility with the best technologies on the market in terms of production and environmental impact. Our efforts will confirm the company’s positioning as Egypt’s leading cement producer and establish it as a services provider for the entire construction industry.”