Displaying items by tag: Ghana

Ghana: The Ghanaian government has ceased to issue permits for new cement plants anywhere in the country. Ghana News Agency has reported that the government enacted the policy in order to ensure the sustainable and responsible growth of Ghana’s cement industry, according to George Dawson-Ahmoah, CEO of the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers, Ghana (COCMAG). Dawson-Ahmoah added that COCMAG is collaborating with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to develop optimal environment, safety and cement quality standards, and to combat unfair trade practices where they arise.

Ghana: Dangote Cement says that it has finished building a new grinding plant in Ghana. Tech Economy News has reported that the new facility has a capacity of 400,000t/yr.

Dangote Cement already operates the Tema cement terminal in Accra. Local press previously reported that Dangote Cement imported 1.5Mt of cement into Ghana in 2022.

Ghana: The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have arrested managers of Wan Heng Ghana. The Business and Financial Times newspaper has reported that the cement producer is suspected of neglecting to pay US$43.1m in tax. An investigation showed that the company received sufficient imported clinker to produce US$120m-worth of cement between 2018 and 2021, yet declared only US$19.6m-worth of sales. Management then reportedly refused to cooperate with further investigations, leading to the arrests. Wan Heng Ghana produces Sol brand cement.

The Chamber of Cement Manufacturers Ghana (COCMAG) affirmed its commitment to ensuring fair competition and ethical practices within the cement industry. It represents cement producers in the country, including Wan Heng Ghana.

Togo: CimTogo has appointed Ebenezer Somuah as its chief executive officer. He succeeds Eric Goulignac in the post, according to Lomé Actu. Somuah previously worked as CimTogo’s Finance Director. Prior to this he held finance positions at Ghacem in Ghana. Somuah holds a master’s in business administration from Ghana-based Central University College.

Ghana: Italy-based Bedeschi has installed handling equipment and conveyor lines for a clinker, bauxite and manganese project at the Port of Takoradi. The initiative is now at the commissioning stage. Bedeschi supplied five conveyor belts with a total length of 3km, two A frame type 50/1400 shiploaders and one eco-hopper. The shiploaders and the eco-hopper were delivered fully erected from the manufacturer’s shipyard directly to the client jetty with a dedicated heavy-lift vessel.

Ghana: A court has issued an injunction for Empire Cement to desist from operating its unlicensed McCarthy Hills cement facility. Ghana News Agency has reported that the China-based producer's activities at the site present a health hazard to local people. The McCarthy Hills Residents' Association said that the company was established to be exclusively a producer of paper bags for cement products.

Algeria: Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) has obtained a certificate of conformity with European standards (CE) for three types of cement. The certification should allow the company to export more products to Europe, according to the Expression newspaper. It applies to its Gica Moudhad and Gica Béton products. The move follows similar certification of products with the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR) from the company’s Aïn El Kebira plant in July 2021. At the same time the Minister of Industry said it was helping the group with its export strategy.

In 2021 GICA exported 2.25Mt of cement to countries including the Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal , Cameroon, Benin,  Guinea, Brazil, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and a number of European countries.

Ghana: Alan Kyerematen, the Minister for Trade and Industry, has blamed the increasing price of cement on negative currency exchange effects and growing fuel prices. He informed the Parliament of Ghana that the cost to import clinker has risen significantly, according to the Ghana News Agency. Kyerematen also noted that the cost of freight has surged due to the coronavirus pandemic and then the war in Ukraine.

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.”

Nigeria: Dangote Cement sales volumes in the first quarter of 2022 have been hampered by disruptions to gas supplies domestically and by high freight rates restricting its exports of cement and clinker to Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Its sales volumes of cement fell by 3.6% year-on-year to 7.25Mt in the first quarter of 2022 from 7.52Mt in the same period in 2021. Its revenue grew by 24% to US$994m from US$801m. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 18.6% to US$508m from US$428m.

Michael Pucheros, the chief executive officer of Dangote Cement, said “Our group volumes were down 3.6% mainly due to energy supply challenges in Nigeria. Our operations relying on cement and clinker imports – namely Ghana, Sierra-Leone, Cameroon - were impacted by the global supply chain challenges.” Additionally, its operations outside of Nigeria was also negatively affected by a cement plant in Congo being shut for over two months due to maintenance and repairs and extended power plant maintenance in Senegal.