Boost to GSB clampdown

Ghana Standard Board’s (GSB) move to crack down on cement retailers who alter the weight of bagged cement on the local market received a boost yesterdayy when the Ghana Cement Manufacturers (GHACEM) handed to it a c140 million Toyota double cabin pick up.  GHACEM produces cement with respect to a standard that is between 49.5 and 50.5 kilogrammes (kg) per bag. But it is said that when the product leaves the factory, the unscrupulous retailers alter the bagged cement reducing it to 35kg or sometimes 25kg.  This practice, which usually takes place between the factory and the consumer, was said to have prompted the GSB to establish a taskforce to find the perpetrators and bring them to book.

Presenting the vehicle to GSB Executive Director, Mr. Nimo Ahinkorah, GHACEM’s managing director, Mr. Bjarne Schmidt, said it was the company’s way of strengthening GSB to monitor bagged cement on the market, adding "We give this pick-up to GSB to ensure that GSB effectively plays its role in ensuring that the underweight cement on the market is stopped."  "GHACEM wants to see the perpetrators dealt with in accordance with the law," Mr. Schmidt said.

He said it was a known fact that his company produces quality cement for better building and it wants to ensure that cement sold on the market has the right weight of 50kg per bag and not less.  GSB Executive Director, Mr. Ahinkorah. in a response, said he was grateful for the GHACEM gesture and to be able to ensure that items produced in the country meet international standard, it was the GSB’s desire to work in partnership with the private sector.