GHACEM TO INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN GHANA BY EXPANDING ITS UNITS IN TEMA AND TAKORADI
The Board and Management of Ghacem Limited have officially announced its planned expansion projects of its Tema and Takoradi plant. In a maiden meet-the-press session of Ghacem Limited, the board chairman Mr. Jean-Marc Junon made this statement right after Ghacem’s board meeting held in Takoradi on the 2nd of December 2010.
Mr. Junon maintained that an additional financial investment has been earmarked to expand Ghacem’s production units both in its Tema and Takoradi plants in an attempt to increase its production capacity to meet the increasing demand of Ghacem’s all time best quality Super Rapid ordinary Portland cement.
The current capacity of the Takoradi plant, he said, is in excess of 1.2 million tons which is the same as Ghacem’s present production capacity in Tema. The expansion will provide additional 650,000 tons to augment our capacity in Takoradi to 1.9 million tons per annum.
Similarly, the Tema factory is also going to be expanded with additional 650, 000 tons per annum.
This Mr. Junon intimated will take off from the 1st quarter of 2011 with commissioning in 3rd quarter 2012. In respect of the Takoradi factory expansion, it is expected to take off soon thereafter.
It is a known fact that Ghacem still maintains its lead as the cement leader in Ghana. Undoubtedly these expansion programs in Tema and Takoradi demonstrate its efforts in consolidating its position as the leading manufacturer of cement and also re-capturing some parts of the targeted cement market.
Ghacem has been in existence for the past 43 years and is committed to the production of quality and affordable cement in Ghana.
Again as already demonstrated for the past 6 years, Ghacem is committed to the use of local raw materials for the production of cement in Ghana.
Ghacem’s first use of local limestone was in 2004 with supplies from the Eastern Region and our cement has since that time been produced with a local component of about 25%.
Ghacem has already started mining and supply of limestone from the Jomoro District in the Western region to our Takoradi factory in collaboration with Dr Addison’s Multiwall Paper sacks Limited. The combination of regional limestone supplies and considerable expanded capacity at Takoradi factory clearly shows Ghacem’s commitment to Western Region.
Mr. Jean Marc Junon further stated that, Ghacem will continue to value the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and uphold the donation of cement to deprived communities in respect of education and health infrastructural development through the initiative of Ghacem Cement Foundation. Records has it that since the inception of the Ghacem Cement Foundation in 2002, a total of 270, 000 bags of cement with an equivalent market value of about Ghc2, 700, 000 to about 1,600 deprived communities across the length and breadth of this country have been donated.
In closing his keynote address at the function, Mr. Junon stated categorically that Ghacem is not against competition, indeed competition enables every producer to improve on its productivity for the betterment of the final consumer.
However what Ghacem is appealing for is competition on a level playing field for all competitors. And that Ghacem will therefore continue to petition the appropriate governing authority as far as its operations is concerned where there is a clear case of unfair trade practices culminating in unfair competition.
The Managing Director of Ghacem Mr. Morten Gade indicated that the company has continually invested heavily in production machinery and training of the requisite human resource needed for all its production unit to in order to meet the increasing demand for quality cement.
Dr. Ishmael Yamson, a board member of Ghacem finally commended the management and owners of Ghacem for investing heavily into the Ghanaian economy. He in turn called on the government to create the needed enabling environment for the private sector to thrive in a bid to help solve the country’s unemployment problems.
BY: The Strategy & Corporate Affairs Directorate