A Building Technologist, Kojo Akoto Boateng, has called for a shift towards alternative building materials to alleviate the high costs associated with Portland cement.

Highlighting the potential of locally sourced materials, Mr Boateng emphasized the importance of considering Pozzolana cement as a viable option.

“We need to look at alternative building materials. For example, Pozzolana cement, if we think that Portland cement is expensive and we are importing a lot of the components we need for Portland cement, which is so expensive, we should start looking inward.

“We need to ask ourselves, ‘with all the pozzolanic materials that we have, that is clay among others that we have in the country, what can we do with Pozzolana cement to reduce our Portland cement consumption by about 30 to 40 percent,’" he said.

Mr Boateng made this recommendation amid the Trade and Industry Ministry’s position to present a legislative instrument before Parliament aimed at regulating cement prices.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, the building technologist underscored the economic benefits of reducing Portland cement consumption, noting that it would significantly decrease the importation of raw materials required for its production.

This shift, he argued, is essential for addressing the country's pressing housing and infrastructure needs.

“These are some of the conversations that I expect the Ministries of Trade, Finance, and Housing to start having because we cannot run away from our housing needs.

“From road construction; every day we talk about the need for more roads but you cannot construct a road without cement because you need to build drains, culverts, etc. It is proven that some of these local materials that we’ve developed like pozzolana cement can be a key ingredient in all this mix."

Mr Boateng called for a strategic focus on the long-term future of the country, emphasizing the necessity of leveraging local resources.

“If we are looking at the long-term future of our country, we need to start looking inward,” he stressed.