Displaying items by tag: Ghacem

Ghana: Heidelberg said that it has signed an agreement with CBI for the acquisition of 50% of the latter’s shares. CBI is the parent company of CBI Ghana, which operates the 0.6Mt/yr Tema grinding plant in Accra. It is in the process of establishing a calcined clay plant at the facility. HeidelbergCement says that it and CBI will explore the possibility of further calcined clay projects in West Africa. Other investors in CBI Ghana include Denmark-based Investeringsfonden for Udviklingslande (IFU) and Norway-based Norfund.

HeidelbergCement’s existing Ghanaian susbidiary Ghacem operates 3Mt/yr-worth of grinding capacity at two plants in Accra and Takoradi.

HeidelbergCement managing board member Hakan Gurdal said “Characterised by high sustained market growth rates, Ghana is one of HeidelbergCement’s core markets in Africa. The new flash calciner in Ghana will be the largest worldwide, with a calcined clay production capacity of more than 400,000t/yr. Start of production is planned for 2024.” Gurdal concluded “We are committed to lowering our CO₂ footprint also in emerging markets.”

Ghana: Ghacem plans to spend US$100m on building a new cement plant at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The new 1.5Mt/yr unit at Kumasi is intended to serve central and northern regions of the country, according to the Daily Graphic newspaper. The plant will use calcined clay as an additive. Construction is expected to take 18 months with commissioning planned for the first quarter of 2023.

The subsidiary of Germany-based HeidelbergCement is also planning upgrades to its grinding plants at Tema and Takoradi. The work at the Tema will include the addition of a new grinding and packing plant and an upgrade of existing equipment. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Work at Takoradi will then follow afterwards.

Ghana: Ghacem has linked its Kumasi terminal to the Data One server, a logistics product, to centralise sales and ordering processing. It follows requests by distributors following a survey, according to the Ghanaian Times newspaper. Sales and orders at the terminal will now use a similar system to that at the company’s plants at Tema and Takoradi. Plans are now being prepared to link the company’s other terminals – at Tamale, Buipe, Techiman and Dwenase – to the system.

Ghana: Morten Gade, the managing director of Ghacem, says that the company plans to make 3Mt of cement in 2019. It also has a target of producing and distributing 60 million bags compared to 56 million bags, according to the Daily Graphic newspaper. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement operates two grinding plants in the country.

Ghana: The Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) has appealed to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to investigate the quality of Chinese cement imports. In a letter of the GSA George Dawson-Ahmoah cited two companies in Tema and Ejisu that allegedly sell cement products of ‘questionable’ quality, according to the Business and Financial Times newspaper. He also posited that samples of cement from these companies were ‘alarming’ and that this explained why their prices were ‘ridiculously’ low.

CMAG consists of Ghacem Limited, Diamond Cement group, CIMAF Ghana and CBI Ghana Limited. However, when asked by the local media why Chinese companies supplying Ghana were not part of the association, Dawson-Ahmoah said that they had been invited.

Ghana: The Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) formally inaugurated itself at the start of July 2018. The association is intended to protect and accelerate the development of the industry, according to MyJoyOnline. Members of the association include Ghacem, Diamond Cement and Ciments de l’Afrique (CIMAF). In its constitution the association stated that it, “is not a cartel, but an umbrella body for cement manufacturers in the country.”

Raju Baddharaju, Diamond Cement, has been appointed as the first chairman of the association’s board. George Dawson-Ahmoah, Strategy & Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem has been appointed as the executive secretary with effect from August 2018. Other members on the governing board include: Morten Gade-Member, Ghacem; Eugene Laryea-Member, Ghacem; N. Venkatesh-Member, Diamond Cement; Mohamed Bennis-Member, CIMAF; and Joseph Aboo-Member, CIMAF.

Previously, the Ghana Cement Manufacturers Association (GCMA) published its memorandum of understanding in 2015 with Ghacem and Diamond Cement as its founding members. Dawson-Ahmoah was the chairman of an interim executive body for the association.

Ghana: Ghacem has opened a 3000t cement terminal at Sefwi Dwenase in the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipality. The unit is the cement producer’s sixth terminal in the country, according to the Daily Guide newspaper. The subsidiary of Germany’s HeidelbergCement has also purchased new trucks to support the site.

Ghana: Ghacem has launched its first ever cement academy and a mobile app that is designed to equip block makers across the country and expand their knowledge regarding cement usage. According to the Commercial Director of Ghacem, Nana Philip Archer, the latest innovation by the company stemmed from three principles; Developing a premium brand, professionalism and the fostering of easy transactions among its stakeholders, especially customers.

“It is not just about producing quality blocks but we want to embark on an educational drive and that is the reason why we have launched the Ghacem Academy,” said Archer. “We are doing this just so we expand the knowledge boundaries of how to use Ghacem cement.”

Ghana: Dangote Cement has defended its conduct against accusations of tax evasion, dumping and other unfair trade practices by local cement producers. Tor Nygard, managing director of Dangote Cement Ghana, defended the Nigerian company at a press conference in Tema saying that the company's entry into the local market had stabilised the price of cement and strengthened competition, according to the Business and Financial Times newspaper. He also described the attacks by market competitors as ‘smear tactics.’

The Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG), representing local cement producers such as Ghacem and Diamond Cement, lobbied the Ghanaian government in October 2016 calling for a ban on imports of cement.

Nygard dismissed accusations of dumping cement in Ghana from Nigeria and confirmed that the company pays all the relevant taxes on its imports. He added that Ghacem and Diamond Cement employ 3000 workers after 55 years of operation but that Dangote Cement employs 2000 workers in the country after only six years of operation. Finally, he detailed plans for the company’s new US$100m cement grinding plant in Takoradi that is due to be commissioned at the end of 2017.

Ghana: Three people have been arrested for allegedly re-bagging cached foreign cement in Ghacem branded bags and selling them to the public.

Samuel Azu, Francis Cato and Philp Quarcoo were apprehended by the Tema Community 2 District Police in Community 11, Tema, Ghana. They are said to be head porters of Sol Cement, which is imported from China. The three suspects would be charged with the offense of forging trademark contrary to section 161, Act 2960. Five of their accomplices are currently on run. It is believed that the suspects also go to construction sites where they pick empty Ghacem branded bags and fill them with the inferior cement for sale to retail shops at cheaper prices.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, Tema Regional Police spokeswoman, who briefed local media, said that the suspects were in the process of re-bagging the inferior cement when the police swooped on them upon a tip-off. She said that the arrest was effected on 7 Wednesday 2015 at about 6pm. According to her, the suspects also buy empty Ghacem bags from unknown sources believed to be working in the company. Obeng noted that the suspects, who admitted the offence, said that they had received the cement as gift from Sol Cement Company and decided to re-bag it.

Goerge Dawson-Ahmoah, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem, told local media that the incident could tarnish the image of Ghacem and that they would collaborate with police to punish the offenders to serve as deterrent to others. He advised buyers to always check the seals anytime they purchase Ghacem products, adding that bags that have glues are likely to have been re-bagged. Dawson-Ahmoah urged retailers to desist from buying products at cheaper prices with the intention of selling them to the public in order to make more profit.