The Ghacem Cement Foundation was established by Ghacem Ltd in 2002 as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to assist deprived communities to improve their health and educational infrastructure.
Since its inception, the foundation has donated a total of 675,000 bags of cement to deprived communities across the country, valued at GH¢52 million.
The cement donation is done annually by the foremost cement manufacturer to hand over allocated bags to institutions across the country, grouped into Southern (Central, Western, Western North, Volta, Oti, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions) and Northern (Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, and Ashanti Regions) sectors. This is to support institutions that are currently undertaking various infrastructural projects.
Southern Sector donation
This year’s Southern Sector donation ceremony was held in Takoradi at the Best Western Atlantic Hotel on August 11, 2023. A total of 9,470 bags of cement were donated to selected health and educational institutions in the Southern sector.
The Northern Sector, which consists of the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Brong East, Brong, Ahafo, and Ashanti Regions, will also receive a total of 7,980 bags of free cement on August 24th of this month.
Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, Chairman of the foundation, gave the above report and expressed confidence that these donations to the schools and hospitals will improve their various projects and spur development in the country.
He informed that the foundation now aims to assist special projects that need special attention. As such, a total of 3,000 bags will be donated to assist a special project, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Children’s Cancer Unit Building Project. “The Council will continue to assist the project until its completion,” he assured.
Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI urged the beneficiaries to use the cement for its intended purpose and informed them that the foundation will carry out a post-donation visit to check and also encourage beneficiaries to re-apply if the need be in order for them to finish their projects.
He therefore implored beneficiaries, past and present, to use Ghacem cement products always as they also contribute to the success of the Ghacem Cement Foundation.
Addressing representatives of beneficiary institutions, Mr. Eric Appiah Odoom, Works Manager-Takoradi, who represented the Managing Director of Ghacem, Mr. Stefano Gallini, said the company was proud to give back to communities through the Ghacem Cement Foundation for more than two decades.
He said the company, while consuming natural resources during the production of cement, is concerned about sustainable development and has therefore produced different cement products in its long-term vision of having a sustainable cement production.
“In doing all this, we are also mindful about our environment, hence our conscious effort to reduce Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in both our Tema and Takoradi plants during production. We have a goal that we need to meet in 2030, so while others are just taking the clinker and adding 90%, not doing any innovation to it, we are finding alternative means of doing it, grinding it very fine.”
In her address, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, a Council member for the Foundation, said the GCF Council members work tirelessly through the numerous applications to select beneficiaries, all in a bid to ensure that health and educational infrastructure in the country is improved to augment government’s effort. As such, she urged the beneficiaries to use the cement for its intended purpose and continue to patronize Ghacem cement to sustain the company and in the long run, the Foundation.
Some of the representatives of beneficiary Institutions who spoke to the Press commended Ghacem for sustaining the GCF over the years, reiterating that depending on government alone for education and health infrastructure will delay development. They therefore said that corporate entities such as Ghacem deserve to be emulated.