Ghacem poised to flood country with cement

GHACEM CEMENT Works Limited has taken delivery of a 5.1-megawatt diesel generator plant and is also to import large quantities of bagged cement into the country.

The moves, according to Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem, are intended to flood the local market with cement and to solve the current distribution and high-cost crisis embroiling the cement market.

Dr. Dawson-Ahmoah made these known at the Kotoka International Airport last Tuesday when a Ghacem delegation took delivery of a generator plant.

He noted that a directive from the VRA demanded all industries to reduce energy consumption by 25 per cent and said the generator brought in would fill in the shortfall of Ghacem's 25 per cent reduction.

Mr. Mortem Gade, Managing Director of Ghacem later confirmed that the company was poised to import large quantities of bagged cement. According to him, a total 40,000 tonnes of bagged cement equivalent to 800,000 bags would be brought in at an average rate of about 40,000 bags a week.

Each imported bag of cement, he stated, would be subsidized by the company to the tune of 7,000 cedis. Ghacem had already imported a quantity of bagged cement specifically for use on critical on-going projects.

Mr. Gade said Ghacem was very unhappy with the current local market cement crisis as highlighted by product shortages, black market racketeering and high prices.

Mr. Gade assured the nation that the various steps being taken by Ghacem would lead to a flooding of the market with cement and normalization of prices.

He further gave the assurance that in spite of the crisis facing his company, the company would continue to support the Ghacem Cement Foundation to maintain its pivotal role of assisting needy institutions and communities.