{"id":257510,"date":"2016-10-12T13:29:25","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T13:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=257510"},"modified":"2016-10-12T13:29:25","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T13:29:25","slug":"apologise-for-unfair-trade-practices-cement-manufacturers-to-trade-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/10\/apologise-for-unfair-trade-practices-cement-manufacturers-to-trade-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Apologise for \u2018unfair\u2019 trade practices \u2013 Cement Manufacturers to Spio"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Association of Cement Manufacturers of Ghana, (CMAG), is demanding an immediate apology from the Trade and Industry Minister, Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, for allegedly granting a permit to a foreign cement producer to import their products directly to Ghana.<\/p>\n

The local manufactures say, Dr. Spio Garbrah acted illegally when he deliberately signed and issued a permit to Fujian from Korea, to import five hundred thousand tonnes of the product.<\/p>\n

Members of the association argue that, the minister is virtually pushing them out of business with the decision.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the\u00a0 Citi Breakfast\u00a0 Show <\/strong>today [Wednesday], the spokesperson for the\u00a0 Cement Manufacturers, Dr. Dawson Amoah said the minister\u00a0 breached the legislative Instrument( LI)\u00a0 that regulates imports\u00a0 and exports of the product.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026The solution to stop all these press conferences and our petitions is for the Minister to say I am sorry. We are talking about good image, compliance, adherence to law. This is a legal issue; once there is a law it must be adhered to.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that their position is not against competition from foreign cement manufacturers, saying \u201cwe are fighting on fair trade; we are fighting illegality so far as importation in concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCement importation has been on the market for a long time, but we are competing. Our issue here is that, let us make sure that we actually erase unfair trade practices and this is one of them. That is unfairness, absolutely unfair,\u201d Dr. Amoah added.<\/p>\n

\"cement-1\"<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve not been given any permit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Chief of Gomoa-Desuom, and the Manager of SOL Cement in Ghana, Nana Obokomata IX, has dismissed claims that his firm has been granted an import license by the Trades Minister.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should have been given the license first; but we are not casting any insinuation at anybody. What we are saying is that, we have tendered in our documents to the Ministry of Trade and as we speak, SOL cement has come to stay, we have a land and we have started building a cement factory in Ghana. Anybody who is interested, I will march him to Tema, just behind TOR, there is a vast land which has been acquired by SOL and we are going to put up an ultra-modern cement manufacturing machine, which is on the sea coming so we are here to supplement the cement production in the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers fume over \u2018illegal\u2019 importation of cement<\/strong><\/p>\n

CMAG at a press conference on Tuesday expressed dismay<\/strong><\/a><\/span> at Spio-Garbrah over the issue, which they claimed was without the approval of the Cement Monitoring Committee established by government.<\/p>\n

Dr. Amoah while addressing the press, complained that the move if not checked could trigger job losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe continuous up swelling of cement imports will compel local manufacturers to scale down operations and the negative economic consequences are so obvious to mention. It is therefore mind-boggling to see the ascendancy of cement imports from China by SOL and Fujian, and from Korea and Nigeria by Dangote cement, despite persistent petitions that manufacturers have installed capacities to meet local demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
\nFollow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
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