Dr Ekow Spio Garbrah, Minister of Trade and Industry has said by the end of the week, a statement would be released on efforts it intends to undertake to protect local cement manufacturers from cement imports.

He said according to the Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana, the local industry has the capacity to produce about nine million metric tonnes of cement while new cement production projects are expected to add a further three to four million metric tonnes annually.

He made the statement at a media interaction between the Steering Committee of the Made in Ghana Campaign and members of the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) in Accra.

“According to the manufacturers, Ghana currently consumes only about seven million metric tonnes of cement per annum which implies that there is about three million metric tonnes of excess capacity that we can produce in Ghana but which we don’t because of the imports,” he noted.

Dr Spio Garbrah said the idea was to put in place a policy and if necessary a legislative instrument to restrict the importation of cement and allow local manufacturers the breathing room to grow and expand, especially as government undertakes various projects that consume cement.

Mr Kwabena Agyekum, Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and member of the Made in Ghana committee, said although much had been done to promote the consumption of made local products and services, there was still much to be done.

He said the advertising campaign currently being run across the nation will be updated to cover product advertisement and the need to consume the specific product.

This will not be a brand advertisement but will focus of the specific product, such as rice and highlight the benefits of eating locally grown rice.

Nana Akrasi Sarpong, Director of communications at the MOTI, said the committee was also working with the Association of Ghana industries and other stakeholders to address the relatively high costs of locally made products in a bid to make them more attractive to consumers.