Contractors learn about Pozzolana cement

Staff of Architectural and Engineering Service Limited (AESL) as well as scores of contractors, masons and artisans in the Eastern Region are to be trained on the use of Pozzolana cement to complement Portland cement and reduce the cost of building.

The training, scheduled for August 22 at Koforidua, will focus on operational mixture of Pozzolana cement with sand and cement for plastering, concrete and the production of hydra form blocks for building.

The training, which is being jointly organized by Pozzolana Ghana Limited (PGL) in collaboration with AESL, is on theme “Pozzolana cement, key to transforming the construction industry”.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Mr. Satchmo Atongo, AESL Managing Director, said the training was necessitated by the urgent need for AESL to acquire technical and operational knowledge of the use of Pozzolana cement.

He said AESL was using Pozzolana cement to build about 250 schools across the country under the government’s policy of removing schools under trees. Mr. Vivek Garg, Managing Director of PGL, said the contractors would be schooled on how to use Pozzolana cement with natural or industrial Pozzolans and Portland cement.

He said in the light of the critical housing shortage and the need for quality construction in Ghana, Pozzolana cement provided a cost-effective alternative to the steadily increasing cost of cement.

“Pozzolana cement provides additional strength, protection against water damage and corrosion, and drastically reduces the cost of construction,” Mr. Garg said