GHACEM opens cement depot at Bolgatanga

Mr Mahami Salifu, Upper East Regional Minister, on Tuesday warned that his office would no longer tolerate contractors who use shortage of cement as an excuse to delay in the completion of government projects in the region.

Mr Salifu gave the warning when he commissioned a new depot opened by the Ghana Cement Company Limited (GHACEM) in Bolgatanga.

"With the commissioning of this depot cement distributors will no longer have to travel long distances to cart cement to the region for sale to estate developers and contractors."

He called on GHACEM to blacklist any local cement distributor who would indulge in acts inimical to the realization of the purpose for which the depot was established.

The Regional Minister commended the company for being responsive to its social responsibility as demonstrated through the GHACEM Cement Foundation.

He appealed to other manufacturers such as the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) and ALUWORKS to emulate GHACEM by decentralizing the distribution of roofing sheets and iron rods to the region.

The Marketing Director of GHACEM, Mr George Dawson-Ahmoah, said his company's primary objective for opening the Bolgatanga Depot was to eliminate black marketing in the region by bringing the commodity at the doorstep of the people.

He said this year, the company had earmarked 26,000 bags of cement valued at about one billion cedis for free distribution among beneficiaries of the GHACEM Cement Foundation.

Mr Dawson-Ahmoah urged distributors and other stakeholders in the region to ensure that black marketers did not gain grounds on the cement market.

"Instead, every effort should be made to minimize or kill their influence completely for the benefit of the people of the region."

Chief Superintendent Bernard Dery, Regional Police Commander, said cement sent to the regional depot was meant solely for local use and not to be transported across the border into other countries.

He warned that any person caught smuggling the commodity out of the region would be severely dealt with.