TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The calcium aluminate support is made by forming a calcium aluminate cement powder, optionally with additional alumina and/or lime, into the desired shape, curing the cement and subsequently calcining the shaped support. The support is alkalized by impregnation with a solution of an alkali prior to the calcination. The treatment of the shaped calcium aluminate support with water is by immersion or spraying with water. The treatment with water is by immersing the shaped support in water for a period of 1-120 minutes at a temperature of 10-95 degrees C. The support drying step is performed at a temperature of 25-250 degrees C. The metal impregnation step is performed at temperature of 50-90 degrees C. The steps (ii), (iii) and (iv) are repeated until the metal oxide content of the calcined material is 2-25 wt.%. The calcination of the impregnated support is performed at a temperature of 250-850 degrees C. The method further comprises the steps of reducing the metal oxide to elemental form with a hydrogen-containing gas mixture. Preferred Components: The support is in the form of a shaped pellet, extrudate or granule. The support is in the form of a cylindrical pellet having 1-12 holes extending though it and optionally 2-20 flutes or lobes. The impregnation solution comprises one or more transition metals, preferably nickel. The metal concentration in the impregnating solution is 100-300 g metal/l. The promoter compounds are impregnated into the dried support and/or the metal oxide coated support. The metal oxide is a reducible metal oxide. EXAMPLE - Calcium aluminate cement was blended with alumina trihydrate and lime to obtain a mixture with calcium (Ca):aluminum (Al) ratio of 10:43. Graphite (4 wt.%) was added, and the resulting mixture pelleted using a hydraulic tableting machine to give cylinders of diameter 3.3 mm and length of 3.3 mm. The pellets were subjected to water-curing and calcination to obtain a calcined shaped support. The shaped calcined calcium aluminate support was treated with water by immersing the pellets in demineralized water at 30 degrees C for 40 minutes. The pellets were removed and dried at 110 degrees C for 16 hours. The catalyst support pellets were then immersed in a solution of nickel nitrate in demineralized water (200 g nickel (Ni)/l) for 5 minutes at 25 degrees C. The impregnated pellets were then removed and allowed to drain for 10 minutes and dried at 110 degrees C for 6 hours. The dried impregnated pellets were then heated at 100 degrees C/hour to 650 degrees C and then held at 650 degrees C for 4 hours to convert the nickel nitrate to nickel oxide. The re-hydrating, drying, impregnating, drying and calcining procedure was repeated on the nickel oxide containing pellets a further two times. The Ni was concentrated in a thin layer around the edge of the catalyst pellet. The thickness of the eggshell layer is 800 mu m. The procedure was repeated on the support, using the same water treatment conditions but carrying out the Ni impregnation each time for 5 minutes at 70 degrees C instead of 25 degrees C. The weight increase, after each calcination step, was measured on 20 pellets, then the obtained product was worked up to give nickel catalyst.