Which of the following factors has the greatest influence on the location of the cement industry?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which factor most strongly determines where a cement factory is sited.

Step 2: Explain the concept Industries are located based on the "least cost" principle. Industries whose raw materials are bulky, heavy, and lose a lot of weight during processing are called weight-losing industries. They locate close to their raw materials to cut transport costs.

Step 3: Apply it to cement

• Cement is made mainly from limestone (about 80% or more of the raw mix), plus clay, shale, and gypsum.
• Limestone is very bulky and heavy. Transporting it over long distances would be very expensive.
• Making cement from limestone involves heating, which drives off carbon dioxide and water, so the finished product weighs much less than the raw materials.
• It is therefore cheaper to move the finished cement than to move the raw limestone.

Step 4: Check the other options

• B. Nearness to market: This matters, but it is secondary. Cement is easier to transport than the raw limestone.
• C. Source of capital: Capital can be moved to any location, so it does not fix where the plant goes.
• D. Manpower development: Skilled labour can be trained or brought in, so it is not the deciding factor.

Step 5: Real Nigerian examples

• Ewekoro (Ogun State), a limestone area, hosts the Lafarge/WAPCO plant.
• Nkalagu (Ebonyi State) has limestone and a cement plant.
• Obajana (Kogi State), the site of Dangote Cement, is also on limestone deposits.
• Sokoto and Ashaka also have cement plants near limestone deposits.

All of these plants sit right beside their raw materials.

Answer: A. Proximity to source of raw materials

Exam tip: Remember "Weight-losing = Raw materials". Cement, cotton ginning, sugar milling, and tin smelting all locate near raw materials. Industries making products that become heavier or more fragile (such as bottling, bread, or soft drinks) locate near the market.