Ghana: Two managers at Kumasi Cement Ghana have been arrested by officials from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). Huang Guangshun and Fang Yuan were detained for continuing to operate the company despite being requested to stop, according to the Graphic newspaper. Samuel K Frimpong, the Ashanti Regional Manager of the GSA, said “They claimed to have been asked to keep producing by an unnamed top government official, but we acted per the law and got them arrested.”

Kumasi Cement Ghana, Xin An Safe Cement Ghana and Unicem Cement Ghana had their licences revoked by the GSA in mid-November 2023 for using inferior materials in cement production. The closure of the cement plants is part of a government strategy to stop the production of ‘substandard’ cement in the country.

Officials from Xin An Safe Cement Ghana and Unicem Cement Ghana have signed an agreement at the head office of the GSA to “adhere to specified quality standards in cement manufacturing”. They pledged to “comply with all regulatory standards and requirements governing cement manufacturing in Ghana.” However, the GSA is yet to allow the companies to restart their operations.