Some recently established cement manufacturers are substituting limestone, a key raw material in cement production, with cheaper and inferior alternatives, insiders have revealed. 

In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, industry players and regulatory officials revealed that certain manufacturers, some of whom have been caught in the act, are replacing limestone with quarry dust, clay, silica and other low-grade substitutes.

Data on cement quality submitted by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) at a stakeholder meeting of the Cement Manufacturing Development Committee (CMDC) and industry players on March 5 this year confirmed an ongoing trend of the production and sale of substandard cement in the country. 

Practice

This practice, aimed at cutting costs, raises serious concerns about the quality and safety of cement products on the market.

Professor Alex Dodoo — Director-General of the GSA 

The Deputy Director of the Building and Road Research Institute of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Professor Mark Bediako, told the Daily Graphic that research had proven that limestone, as a five to 30 per cent constituent, was essential in cement production, providing the calcium oxide required for the chemical binding process and that it did not alter the quality of cement in any way.

However, Prof. Bediako said the alternatives did not only compromise the quality of the cement but also posed significant risks to the structural integrity of buildings and infrastructure.

He explained that cement produced with substitutes such as quarry dust was more prone to cracking, weakening, and failing under stress.

Prof. Bediako said the underlying factor for some of the manufacturers’ use of cheap alternatives as a substitute to limestone was the siting of their companies in areas in the Ashanti and Bono regions, which were far from large deposits of limestone.

Companies found to have violated the cement manufacturing process include Chinese new-entrant manufacturers.,

“When the Chinese came, they sited their factories in places far in the Ashanti Region which is far from the quarries of limestone, so they look at transportation cost and resort to anything that resembles limestone; but that is dangerous,” Prof. Bediako said.

He explained that by using cheaper substitutes, the manufacturers had been able to flood the market with low-cost products, undercutting local manufacturers who adhered to strict quality standards.

Regulatory gaps

Meanwhile, some sources suggest that the defaulting manufacturers have been exploiting regulatory loopholes and weak enforcement mechanisms to continue producing and selling substandard cement.

Although recent efforts by the GSA to enforce quality control measures have brought these issues to light, the challenge now lies in ensuring that all manufacturers, regardless of their origin, comply with the required standards.

The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, last week authorised the GSA to shut down cement manufacturers producing substandard products.

The Director-General of the GSA, Professor Alex Dodoo, who has been leading the charge to rid the market of substandard cement products, told the Daily Graphic that the use of substandard cement had far-reaching consequences for the construction industry as poor-quality cement could lead to structural failures, increased maintenance costs and loss of life in extreme cases.

“Property owners and developers who unknowingly use these products risk significant financial losses and legal liabilities,” he said.

Prof. Dodoo said beyond that, he was seriously concerned that the reputation of Ghana’s construction industry was at stake.

“If substandard cement continues to infiltrate the market, it could erode trust in local construction projects and deter foreign investment in the sector.

This underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability in the industry,” Prof. Dodoo said. 

He added that the directive to shut down defaulting factories had become necessary due to the seriousness of the situation, and assured the public that inspectors from the GSA had already been deployed to monitor the operations of suspected factories.