On Friday, July 19, Trade and Industry Minister Kobina Tahir Hammond dismissed representatives of the Cement Manufacturers Association from a meeting with the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GCCI) held at Christ the King in Accra.
A video from the event shows Mr. Hammond firmly requesting the cement manufacturers to leave before the meeting started.
“I was invited by the Chamber of Construction. I wasn’t invited by the Association of Cement Manufacturers. I wasn’t invited by them. Can they leave?” the Minister asked.
Mr. Hammond explained that he had already met with the manufacturers previously and did not see the need to meet with them again at this gathering. He emphasized that this meeting was specifically for interactions with the Chamber of Construction.
“Two options, that I leave or they leave,” the minister stated firmly, despite efforts by representatives from the Chamber to justify the manufacturers’ presence.
He further asserted, “Actually if you want it on record, they will not meet with me.”
Following the minister’s insistence, Emmanuel Tettey Martey, Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, asked the cement manufacturers to exit.
Despite another intervention by Nana Opare Kwafo, Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction and Kyidomhene of Aburi, the Adansi Asokwa MP stood his ground, demanding the manufacturers’ departure.
A source at the meeting told CitiNewsroom that the manufacturers had to walk out for the meeting to continue.
This incident follows the Cement Manufacturers’ decision to opt out of a meeting with the Trade Minister on July 1, 2024, after the minister insisted on holding the session in the presence of the media.
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