|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Minister of Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond, has tasked the newly formed Cement Manufacturing Development Committee with ensuring consistent cement prices nationwide.
Highlighting the analogy between the cement and petroleum retail sectors, where pump prices remain uniform across the country, Mr. Hammond stressed the importance of implementing a similar pricing framework in the cement industry to foster price stability and consistency.
He underscored the importance of retail prices aligning closely with factory prices, advocating against significant markups.
The minister issued these directives in Accra last Friday during the swearing-in ceremony of members of the Cement Manufacturing Development Committee, tasked with regulating the cement industry.
For years, the industry has operated without regulatory oversight.
Also Read: Non-Fasting Muslims Arrested by Nigerian Islamic Police in Kano During Ramadan
The Committee
The establishment of the committee aligns with the Ghana Standards Authority (Manufacture of Cement) Regulations, 2023 (LI 2480). This regulation mandates the formation of a nine-member committee to supervise and promote the local production of cement. The committee is tasked with monitoring and coordinating activities within the cement manufacturing sector in accordance with the provisions outlined in the legislative instrument.
Led by Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the nine-member committee comprises Francis Kojo Eshun, also from the GSA. Other members include Kofi Addo from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Gyimah Mohammed from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Saeed Foroco from the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ebenezer Kwesi Haizel from the Ghana Institution of Engineering.
Additionally, the committee includes Dr. Frank Huber representing the Association of Ghana Industries, Bishop Dr. George Dawson Ahmoah from the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers of Ghana, and Dr. Mark Bediako, an expert in cement manufacturing, nominated by the minister.
Challenges
Mr. Hammond conveyed to the Daily Graphic in an interview that legislative measures were implemented to address challenges concerning quality and standards within the manufacturing sector. “This legislation facilitated the formation of the committee to oversee pricing practices and ensure adherence to established standards,” he stated.
Responding to concerns regarding substandard products in the industry, Mr. Hammond directed the committee to closely monitor operations, particularly those of three Chinese-owned manufacturers in the Ashanti Region that were closed down last year due to non-compliance and the use of substandard raw materials.
He also identified two entities operating without permits and urged prompt action to rectify their status.
Mr. Hammond stressed the importance of transparency and public awareness, emphasizing the need to inform the nation about the committee’s mandate and the regulatory framework in place.
Highlighting his vision for uniform retail prices nationwide, Mr. Hammond underscored the importance of maintaining reasonable margins between factory and retail prices to prevent disparities. Consequently, he instructed cement manufacturers to publish their factory prices in newspapers with nationwide circulation to educate consumers.
