About 300 health and educational Institutions in the southern part of Ghana have taken delivery of free cement bags from the Ghacem Cement Foundation (GCF) to aid their infrastructural development.

The donation, made last week in Accra, is the first of two distributions to be carried out by the Foundation this year.

The Western, Central, Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta Region were the areas which formed part of the southern sector of the country that benefited from the free cement under the Ghacem Cement Foundation as part of an annual benevolence from the country's leading cement manufacturer.

The Northern Sector, which consists of the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, will also receive their allocation of free cement bags by the last quarter of this year.

Present at the ceremony were top Council Members of the GCF including the its Chairman, Nana Prah Agyensaim VI; Mr. Morten Gade, Managing Director of Ghacem and member of the Foundation; Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah, Secretary of the Foundation, who is also the Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director of Ghacem and Professor Audrey Gadzekpo (member of the Foundation).

Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah commended the delegation from Pantang Hospital in Accra, who were one of the beneficiaries for turning out in their numbers at the handing over ceremony.

Addressing the gathering, the Managing Director of Ghacem, Mr. Morten Gade expressed delight about the strides Ghacem has made in infrastructural development across the country through the annual cement donation

“The United Nations Millennium Development Goals clearly states, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015 and considering how close it is and looking at the whooping gap in infrastructural development in these two areas in the country it behoves on all of us to work hard to achieve these objective", he said.

Mr Gade reaffirmed Ghacem's commitment to continue to support health and educational institutions in the country and urged the beneficiary institutions to do their part by using the donation judiciously.

Chairman of the GCF, Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, noted that since 2002, the GCF has donated a total of 360,000 bags of free cement to over 3,800 communities in the country

“This means that within the twelve-year period of the running of the foundation, the company has invested about 8.2 million Ghana cedis into this project and “i believe this is very commendable and corporate institutions need to emulate to facilitate development in the country", he said.

Some of the beneficiary schools and hospitals included: Shallon Preparatory School in Agona Amanful; Konono D/A JHS in Akosombo; Youth Leadership & Skills Training Institute- Afienya; Kpando Aziave R.C Primary in Kpando; Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Supomu Dunkwa; Kushea Anglican School in Assin Kushea; MA Experimental in Kibi; Royal Priesthood Academy In Amasaman; Andoga L.A. Primary School in Hohoe;  Atwereboanda D/A Junior High School In Aboso; Frankeve Human Development Foundation in Agona Swedru and St. Nicholas Preparatory School in Akyem Manso.