The Minister for Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond, has issued a directive to cement manufacturers to secure licenses or halt production immediately.

The directive which was issued on September 24, 2024, according to a graphiconline.com report, follows the coming into force of the Ghana Standards Authority's Manufacture of Cement Regulation, 2023, (L.I. 2480), which mandates existing companies to re-register and secure a license and prohibits new factories without a license from operating.

Section 17 of L.I. 2480 provides that: “(1) A person shall not manufacture cement in the country unless the person has obtained a licence in accordance with these Regulations.

“(2) A person who contravenes sub-regulation (1) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than twelve months and not more than two years.”

The Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alex Dodoo, who chairs the Cement Manufacturing Development Committee, said the regulation requires that all the cement manufacturing companies in production without a license were doing so illegally and committing an offence.

He also noted that no cement manufacturer in Ghana has applied for licenses at the moment, as is required by the law.

Prof. Dodoo therefore urged manufacturers to comply with the law and secure their licenses as soon as possible.

“Manufacturers have since the coming into force of this law been encouraged to comply with two separate public notices in the Daily Graphic,” Prof. Dodoo was quoted by graphiconline.com.

“The regulation also allows the production of cement at only approved places so we are protecting the environment and those who are in production at unapproved places would have to relocate to approved places to be able to get the license,” he added.

The regulation is currently being enforced to address consumer concerns, including rising cement prices, as a bag of cement currently sells at an average of GH¢105.

SSD/ ADG

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