Parliament's Minority Agrees To L.I. On Cement Transparency

The Minority in Parliament has welcomed the Legislative Instrument (L.I) that is seeking to address issues of high prices of cement in Ghana.

Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza said that they support the LI since it will focus on price reporting to the committee, rather than price control, making it a non-controversial issue.

“The last time the minister was here, colleagues from both sides had very serious concerns that those concerns have been sent back to the committee and have been addressed. I am informed that they have dealt with those issues and based on that we advise that it is no longer harmless.

“So we are OK to support it at least what I’ve been told, that it is not about price control, it’s the price control element that has been taken out. It is about reporting the price reporting to the committee. And if that is the case, Mr Speaker, the advice is that it’s no longer a controversial issue. So it can go.”

The LI was laid on Tuesday, July 2, and referred to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament.

The cement producers had been resisting this L.I from being considered by Parliament.

The Executive Secretary of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Ghana (CMAG) Rev. Dr. George Dawson-Ahmoah said that unfavorable economic conditions in Ghana are causing them to increase prices of cement. He stated that no cement producer is happy with increasing prices.