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Nana
Ohene
Ntow,
Special
Advisor
to
independent
presidential
aspirant
Alan
Kyerematen,
has
said
that
the
Legislative
Instrument
(L.I)
to
regulate
cement
prices
is
not
the
solution
to
the
real
economic
issues
in
Ghana.
He
says
the
L.I
is
a
knee-jerk
approach
to
the
problems.
For
him,
the
high
prices
of
cement
and
other
commodities
are
symptoms
of
an
economy
that
is
having
structural
challenges.
Speaking
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
on
Saturday,
July
6,
the
former
General
Secretary
of
the
New
Patriotic
Party
(NPP)
said
“These
for
me,
are
symptoms
of
an
economy
having
very
serious
fundamental
structural
problems.”
He
added
“All
the
macro
economic
indicators
have
problems
and
so
if
you
go
and
pick
on
cement
it
doesn’t
solve
the
problem.
I
agree
that
the
government
can
enforce
the
regulation,
if
it
has
to
do
with
the
law
then
the
legal
platform
will
have
to
be
cleaned
up.
“But
it
is
a
knee-jerk
reaction
to
the
reality
of
the
economic
situation.
If
you
are
able
to
solve
the
cement
pricing
issues,
then
the
next
thing
is
iron
rod,
the
next
thing
is
roofing
sheets
then
what
are
you
going
to
do?”
For
his
part,
Private
legal
practitioner
Martin
Kpebu
said
he
favoured
any
move
to
regulate
the
prices
of
cement
in
Ghana.
He
however
said
the
Trade
Ministry
should
use
the
right
approach
including
extensive
consultation
toward
making
prices
cheaper.
He
has
asked
the
Minister
of
Trade
and
Industry
KT
Hammond
and
the
cement
producers
to
sit
and
address
their
concerns
on
the
Legislative
Instrument
(L.I)
to
regulate
cement
prices
(LI).
“When
two
elephants
fight
it
is
the
ground
that
suffers.
They
should
get
a
mediator
to
be
able
to
sit
them
down,
they
should
talk
to
Austin
Gammey,
Nana
SKB
Asante
and
others
so
that
they
can
talk,”
Kpebu
also
said
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
on
Saturday,
July
6.
He
added
“Ghana,
we
are
not
well
organized
so
we
have
manufacturers
and
producers
fleecing
us.
I
am
happy
that
efforts
are
being
made
to
regulate
the
prices
of
cement,
business
people
are
motivated
by
profit
so
if
you
loose
guard
they
will
fleece
you
but
the
procedure
is
very
important.”
Meanwhile,
Trade
Minister
KT
Hammond
has
dismissed
claims
by
the
cement
producers
that
they
were
not
consulted
on
the
legislative
Instrument
(LI)
to
regulate
cement
prices.
He
described
the
claim
as
a
palpable
falsehood.
Speaking
in
an
interview
with
TV3’s
Beatrice
Adu,
KT
Hammond
said
that
the
Executive
Secretary
of
the
Cement
Manufacturers
Association
of
Ghana
(CMAG)
Rev.
Dr.
George
Dawson-Ahmoah
“actually
gave
me
the
draft,
it
is
the
handiwork.”
He
added
“It
is
palpable
falsehood
that
I
hadn’t
consulted,
he
consistently
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
all
the
attempts.”
Rev.
Dr.
George
Dawson-Ahmoah,
while
indicating
that
they
were
not
consulted
also
said
that
unfavorable
economic
conditions
in
Ghana
are
causing
them
to
increase
prices
of
cement.
“Why
is
the
Minister
avoiding
or
just
running
away
from
this
discussion?
Previously,
our
position
has
been
that
these
prices
of cement,
the
increase
of
prices
of cement,
it
is
not
done
in
a
vacuum.
It
is
not
done
just
because
we
wake
up
in
the
morning
and
do
it.
“It
is
as
a
result
of
a
negative
trend
in
the
economy,
which
is
warranting
such
increases,
and
that
is
the
issue.
And
like
I
said,
what
is
happening
now
with
cement
prices
is
just
because
of
the
rapid
and
consistent
depreciation
of
the
cedi
against
the
foreign
currencies.
“We
don’t
know
anything
about
it.
And
with
my
common
knowledge
in
legislative
instruments,
don’t
you
involve
stakeholders
before
it
gets
to
Parliament?
Don’t
you
involve
stakeholders
in
the
process?”
he
quizzed.
“No
cement
manufacturer
is
happy
with
increasing
prices.
We
do
that
because
of
an
unfavorable
economic
situation,”
he
said
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
on
Saturday,
June
29.
Rev.
Dr.
George
Dawson-Ahmoah
further
said
that
the
rapid
depreciation
of
the
local
currency
has
been
impacting
their
operations,
forcing
them
to
raise
the
prices
of
cement.
Clinker
which
is
a
major
component
of
cement
production,
is
imported
hence
the
depreciation
of
the
Cedi’s
impact
on
their
business,
he
said.
“It
has
a
huge
impact
on
the
pricing
of
cement.
There
are
other
factors
but
currently
this
is
a
major
concern
now
and
that
is
what
has
motivated
the
Minister
to
rush
to
parliament
to
regulate
prices.
Why
didn’t
he
do
it
last
year?”
He
asked.
Rev.
Dr.
George
Dawson-Ahmoah
had
told
Trade
Minister
K
T
Hammond
that
the
increasing
prices
of
cement
can
be
attributed
to
the
fall
of
the
Cedi
against
the
Dollar.
Rev
Dawson-Ahmoah
said
they
do
not
need
a
Legislative
Instrument
to
regulate
cement
prices.
There
must
be
some
sanity
in
the
system –
KT
Hammond
justifies
L.I.
to
regulate
cement
prices
But
KT
Hammond
told
journalists
in
Parliament
on
Wednesday,
June
26
that
he
had
engaged
them.
“I
asked
them
to
ensure
that
something
was
done
about
it.
In
my
absence,
I
was
told
that
the
minister
wasn’t
going
to
be
able
to
do
anything.
“They
would
not
listen,
they
wouldn’t
do
it,
and
they
would
go
the
way
they
want.
“Encouraging
them
to
do
it
is
a
moral
persuasion.
If
moral
persuasion
fails,
there
is
a
system
in
the
country,
there’s
a
constitution,
and
we
are
preyed
by
a
rule
of
law.
If
we
don’t
accept
the
moral
principle,
at
least
some
sort
of
economic
principle,
the
good
people
of
Ghana
must
benefit.
I
don’t
think
it
is
fair
for
the
way
they
are
pricing
and
the
way,
haphazardly
each
one
of
them
decides
and
dictates
how
much
a
bag
of
cement
should
be
sold
for.
Cement
prices:
It
behooves
on
us
in
authority
to
ensure
Ghanaians
aren’t
fleeced
–
Trade
Minister
“This
is
quite
apart
from
the
quality
that
they
are
producing.
Some
of
the
companies
are
producing
substandard
products.
We
have
had
to
deal
with
this
matter,”
he
said.