Three Cement factories that were recently shut down by the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), have signed an undertaking pledging to adhere to industry standards and refrain from producing substandard cement, the Director General of the GSA, Professor Alex Dodoo has disclosed.
According to Prof. Dodoo, the affected companies – Xin An Safe Cement Ghana Ltd, Kumasi Cement Ghana Ltd, and Uniceme Cement Ghana Ltd – were shut down because they failed to adhere to repeated warnings.
“It’s something we have been questioning, that letter was issued after repeated instructions and we had to act for the sake of our country. Thankfully, this time, the companies have all admitted their wrongs, we have stopped their operations completely and we are supervising them, and we want more drastic actions.” he said on Citi Breakfast Show.
As part of this drive for quality control, the GSA has also announced plans to introduce legislation to regulate the production and sale of electrical cables and iron rods.
Professor Dodoo emphasized that the GSA is committed to enforcing national standards and protecting consumers from substandard products. He warned that companies found to be flouting the rules will face strict penalties.
“Before the L.I is laid and passed, we are going to take action not just against these companies, but companies in the cement, electrical cables and the iron rod industry. We chose these three because they represent areas of biggest risk and challenges at the moment.
“Our actions should speak to the fact that we want them to produce according to national standards and meet national needs. Because much as we want factories, allowing them to make sub-standards products will only make our associations worse.”
In addition to enforcing regulations, the GSA is also engaged in public education campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of purchasing high-quality construction materials.
“For the past three weeks, we have been distributing leaflets educating Ghanaians. You can be rest assured of more and more of carrying out actions and ensuring that offending individuals and organizations pay the necessary administrative penalty or fines as demanded by law.”
The Ghana Standards Authority on November 13, shut down the operations of three cement manufacturing companies in the Ashanti Region for using inferior materials in their production.
The companies include: Xin An Safe Cement Ghana Ltd at Ejisu, Kumasi Cement Ghana Ltd, located at Offinso, and Uniceme Cement Ghana Ltd, located at Bekwai.
The move, according to the GSA is to clamp down on substandard cement production in the country.
