Dangote Cement Ghana Limited has dismissed suggestions that its imports are posing unfair competition against Diamond cement in the Volta Region.

“We don’t think we are competing unfairly. It is fair because we are operating under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS). Within the ECOWAS region", the Sales and Marketing Manager, Joseph Kwabena Aboo, spoke with JOY BUSINESS.

Some youth of Aflao in the Volta Region earlier Thursday morning demonstrated against the Nigerian cement company for importing cement to Ketu South.

According to them, this has created unfair competition for the local cement manufacturer, Diamond Cement which has consequently planned to cut down on production from 5,000 to 3,000 tonnes a day and also dismiss some workers.

But Dangote Cement Ghana has denied this.

"We pay the right duties based upon the rules of the ETLS and we are not with-holding any tax so I don’t think its unfair. For Diamond Cement as they are fighting, they started bringing their goods from Togo in the year 2000 and nobody raised an alarm.

"We also have the Chinese bringing goods from China and I can provide the evidence they are rather dumping goods in Ghana yet no alarm is raised. Its only an attack on Dangote. We are sure we are doing business on fair grounds.

"We sell from our factory in Tema but we have some of our customers who buy from Tema and send it back to the Volta Region because they also have customers there” he said.

The agitated youth who demonstrated earlier today want government to stop Dangote from importing the product to Ketu South. But Mr. Aboo says they should rather welcome the competition because it is in their own interest as consumers.

“Every manufacturer in Ghana has the right to sell in any region. Volta region is not exclusive for one particular company. In Tema we have other factories producing and this product goes allover Ghana. Every manufacturer should embrace competition and the competition is good for the employees or the youth in that community because it makes it more possible for you to be employed and treated better by other companies” he said.

Meanwhile,Dangote Cement says it is advancing moves to generate some 1000 jobs in the Greater Accra and Volta regions by the first quarter of next year. According to Mr. Aboo they rather plan creating more jobs by March next year.              

Meanwhile, Dangote Cement says it is advancing moves to generate some 1000 jobs in the Greater Accra and Volta regions by the first quarter of next year.

According to Mr. Aboo they rather plan creating more jobs by March next year.              

“We are bringing the cement from Nigeria to Tema but the only route between Nigeria and Tema is through Aflao. So we are not denying the youth of Aflao their employment, in any case we are acquiring a land in Denu where we will have our station and will give employment to the youth in the Volta Region. We are going to acquire a plot of land where our trucks will be stationed and there will be more activities.

Thus we will employ drivers, loaders and other workers for our operations. We are now looking for the land so if we get it then we look forward to the first quarter of next year’’he concluded.