Displaying items by tag: Ghana

Ghana: Dangote Cement has appealed to the Ghanaian government to ban imports of cement from China. Dangote officials made the comments on a press tour of its own cement import terminal at Tema, according to Kaspa local radio. Chinese cement importers were accused of not paying correct tariffs and not holding adequate certification.

Dangote, a cement producer based in Nigeria, faced investigations by the Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry in February 2016 due to allegations of predatory pricing reported by local media. As well as operating a 1Mt/yr cement import terminal the company is building a 1.5Mt/yr clinker grinding plant in Takoradi.

Ghana: Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has proposed legislation to parliament to cap imports of cement into the country. Spio-Garbrah also announced that all cement importers must register with the ministry by 31 March 2016 to apply for a permit, according to the Daily Trust.

"The Ministry of Trade and Industry proposes through legislative instrument to impose a ceiling on the annual importation of cement into Ghana. Companies that wish to import bagged cement shall be issued a permit to avoid the chaos that has lately saddled the sector," the ministry said in a statement. Companies legitimately licensed under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme will be exempt from applying for permits.

Ghana has a cement production capacity of 9Mt/yr but it only consumes 6Mt/yr giving it an excess of 3Mt/yr. However the country imports over 1Mt/yr of cement. Complaints about cement imports from Nigeria and China have been made in local press since the start of 2016.

Ghana: The Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has announced that it will investigate Dangote Cement's operations, following allegations of predatory pricing made by Diamond Cement, according to the This Day newspaper. A ministry spokesman said that it was looking at the 'price of input' in manufacturing cement.

"There was no way Dangote could produce in Nigeria, bring goods into Ghana, pay tariffs and still sell at a price lower than Diamond Cement," said Ahmad Nasir, Deputy Communications Manager at the MTI. Diamond Cement are reported to have complained that competition from Dangote has reduced its cement production from 1.8 million bags to 1.3 million bags.

Ghana: The Ghana Cement Manufacturers Association (GCMA) has praised the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for introducing a Freight on Board (FOB) value of US$60/t for cement, a rise from US$26/t previously. The GRA has been investigating allegations of under-declaration in the cost and freight value for imported bagged cement from China, according to local press.

"We commend the GRA for playing a vital role in this adjustment, and urge its sustenance in order to maximise revenue as well as protect the local cement industry," said George Dawson-Ahmoah, chairman of the GCMA. The GCMA maintains that imported bagged cement into Ghana is unnecessary give the country's surplus of locally manufactured cement. Members of the GCMA include Ghacem Limited, Diamond Cement, Savanna Diamond Cement and Western Diamond Cement.

Ghana: Ghana has lost over US$13m due to imports of around 500,000t of bagged cement the Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) has said to the Daily Guide newspaper. The association is fighting imports of bagged cement into the country, principally from China, because local production of cement exceeds demand. Local cement production capacity is 7.4Mt/yr, current consumption is 5Mt/yr and this leaves a surplus of 2.4Mt/yr.

"It's mind-boggling to see the ascendancy of imports of bagged cement from China despite persistent petitions that the manufacturers have installed capacities to meet local demand," said CMAG chairman George Dawson-Ahmoah in a recent statement. The association has been lobbying government bodies in Ghana since April 2015 on the issue if imported bagged cement from China. Local producers affected by the imports include GHACEM Limited, Diamond Cement Ghana, Savanna Diamond Cement and Western Diamond Cement.

Ghana: Western Diamond Cement Limited (WDCL) has launched its product in Takoradi under the brand name 'Diamond Cement.' The company, which has the first vertical cement mill in Ghana, will produce 42.5 rapid and 32.5 rapid cements. It has 6500t of clinker storage.

Buddarajo Roju, Manager of Quality Control at Western Diamond Cement Limited, said that Ghana is a vibrant economy and that there is rapid growth in the whole of West Africa, especially infrastructural development. He said that the company is committed to implementing the Environmental Impact Statement to the Environmental Protection Agency and mitigation measures on dust generation, noise impact, as well as liquid and solid waste.

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.

Ghana: The Ghana Cement Manufacturing Association (GCMA) has approved of a government customs decision to increase the cost and freight value of imported bagged cement into the country. The valuation of Freight on Board (FOB) for the import of bagged cement has been increased to US$60/t from US$25/t, according to GCMA Chairman and Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem, George Dawson-Ahmoah.

"We are appealing to international cement manufacturing companies who know the international cement market trade to abide by fair trade practices to safeguard the industry, because it has consequences like workers losing their jobs, lower taxes to the government and folding-up of local cement companies — which would be disastrous for the nation," said Dawson-Ahmoah to local media.

Dawson-Ahmoah said that the GCMA was not expecting any value less than US$80/t to cover cost and freight of imported cement from China to Ghana. He added that the country's local cement industry has a 2Mt/yr surplus of cement production capacity following expansion projects. Since lobbying the government on this issue the GCMA has been monitoring movement of imported bagged cement and will continue to insist on fair trade practices.

Ghana: According to local media Modern Ghana, George Dawson-Ahmoah, chairman of the Ghana Cement Manufacturers Association (GCMA), has called for the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imported cement to rid the industry of unfair trade practices by importers and protect investments by local cement manufacturers and the employment of locals.

Dawson-Ahmoah urged the government to take its cue from South Africa, which recently imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on cement originating from Pakistan. South Africa imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on cement from Pakistan from 15 May 2015 following investigations initiated by the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) on 22 August 2014 after a number of local cement producing companies submitted an application on behalf of the industry.

Dumping occurs when companies export their goods to foreign markets at prices lower than what they charge for the same product in their home market. When dumping causes material injury to an industry in the market to which the products are exported, it is considered unfair trade.

Dawson-Ahmoah said that since countries are entitled to act in terms of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and procedures with an objective to level the playing field between domestic producers and foreign competitors, Ghana's government should act appropriately to defend the local market from undue price under cuttings, which have the potential to 'destabilise' the industry.

Ghana: The Ghana Cement Manufacturers Association (GCMA), which comprises Ghacem Ltd, Diamond Cement Company Ltd and Savannah Diamond Company Ltd, has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to urgently commence investigation into what it described as the tax liabilities of certain importers of bagged cement into the country.

In a letter dated 26 May 2015 and addressed to the director of taxes at the Finance Ministry, the GCMA said that it had gathered that two importers, SOL Ghana Ltd and Fujiman Sentuo, had allegedly declared cost, insurance, freight (CIF) values of about US$27/t and US$30/t respectively. The letter, jointly signed by George Dawson-Ahmoah, chairman and N Venketash, vice chairman / secretary, stated, 'The alleged values to us as seasoned manufacturers in the cement industry are unbelievable and call for the attention of the tax authorities. Such values, when confirmed, are under-valued leading to huge financial loss to the nation."