Unfair competition hits Ghana’s cement market

Local cement manufacturers have petitioned the Tariff Advisory Board (TAB) to help leverage the unfair competition that the importation of cements into the country has created.

They indicated that the influx of imported cement into the country was becoming alarming and conscious effort needed to be made to stop this canker as it promoted unfair trade practices in the industry.

This was made known last week when a delegation from three leading manufacturing companies – GHACEM Ltd, Diamond Cement and Savannah Cement – called on the chairman of the TAB, Mr Tawiah Akyea.

The delegation, led by Dr George Dawson-Ahmoah, the Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of GHACEM, noted that the situation had become alarming, as it had created an unfair competitive environment for local manufacturers.

“A major concern with some of these imported cements is that the retail prices are lower than expected which leaves much to wonder whether the necessary tax are being paid to relevant authorities. Their destination of manufacturing cannot even be traced or verified,” Dr Ahmoah noted.

He indicated that with the development, the quality of the buildings those cements were used to put up became questionable.

“Nobody can use substandard products to build and be assured of quality,” he noted that cements manufactured locally were a better option “because local materials are for our local conditions.”

He, therefore, urged that as a statutory body working in the interest of the country, the TAB should be concerned with the current situation and explore measures to address the system.

“We should not sit unconcerned because there is also the urgent need to address the unfair trade practice that leads to huge losses in revenue to the country,” he indicated.

Mr Tawiah Akyea, commended the delegation for the alert and assured his outfit would take measures to attend to the concerns brought before it.

Source: Daily Graphic