Dangote cement Ghana Ltd. has applauded government’s decision for concrete road construction in the country. The move, the company notes, will save the country lots of money which would have otherwise been spent on regular repairs.

The Managing Director of Dangote Cement Ghana Ltd, Tor Nygard, disclosed in an exclusive interview with ghanaweb.com that the company is well positioned to partner government to realize this dream. Mr. Nygard noted that the company has built and commissioned similar roads in Nigeria which has become a reference point for concrete roads in the sub-region. “We at Dangote best understand the need for concrete roads as we have already built one of the longest concrete roads in Nigeria. It’s based on our experience and the overall benefits of concrete roads that we laud the Government of Ghana for the bold step in going concrete”.

Mr. Nygard noted that roads built with concrete turn to last longer and also require little maintenance for which reason many countries across the world are gradually shifting towards the use of concrete for roads. “Apart from the Tema-Accra motorway, which we all know of, we can easily refer to the Autobahn in Germany and the Marine Drive in Mubai which were all built with concrete. These roads and a couple of others we have built in Nigeria are more solid and durable than asphalt roads”.

On his part, the Media Relations Manager of Dangote Cement, Komla Buami, said while it is important to laud the decision to go concrete, it is imperative that contractors test and confirm the quality of cement to be used for such roads. He noted that whereas concrete roads are solid, the grade of cement used play very significant roles in the final output.

“Inasmuch as we believe this move by government is a laudable one, it is important we remind our engineers to opt for the highest grade of cement for use for such roads. A number of low quality cement are on the market even though we see commercials that claim their quality is high. That’s why it is important that before a decision is made on the type of cement for concrete roads, an independent test is done devoid of any interferences by the manufacturers”.

The government has announced that major road networks in Ghana will, henceforth, be constructed using concrete. The Tema Steel Works road has been penned as the first to be built with concrete by the government.

The introduction of concrete roads will enable the government find lasting solutions to the poor road network in the country, and also reduce the burden of constantly sourcing funds to repair the roads. A further advantage is the number of cement companies currently in Ghana that can easily supply the required amount of cement for use.