Representatives of the Cement Manufacturers Association had to leave a meeting involving the Trade and Industry Minister and the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GCCI) after the K.T. Hammond insisted they leave the gathering.
Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond, the Minister, had asked the Association’s reps to leave or he exits the meeting himself.
The GCCI had organised a meeting with K.T. Hammond at the Christ the King Church in Accra on Friday, July 19, 2024, to discuss matters on the regulation of cement prices which recently generated controversy.
A video from the meeting captured Mr Hammond insisting that the cement manufacturers exit before the meeting commenced.
“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.
According to the Adansi Asokwa MP, he has already had a meeting with the cement manufacturers and didn’t see the need to meet them again, emphasising that the said meeting was meant for the Chamber of Construction alone.
He threatened that it was either the manufacturers leave or he left the meeting himself.
“Two options, that I leave or they leave,” the minister stated firmly, despite attempts by representatives from the Chamber to justify the manufacturers’ attendance at the meeting.
He further indicated “Actually if you want it on record, they will not meet with me.”
Emmanuel Tettey Martey, Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, following the minister’s insistence, requested the cement manufacturers to leave the meeting.
“Respectfully, our manufacturers, our minister has stated clearly that he has already met you and you have articulated your issues to him and so he thought that he was meeting only the chamber.
“So that is where we stand. We don’t want a situation where the minister will leave, then we wouldn’t have achieved the purpose for which the meeting was called,” he appealed.
Despite another intervention by the Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction, Nana Opare Kwafo, who also holds the title of Kyidomhene of Aburi, the Adansi Asokwa MP stood his ground and demanded the exit of the manufacturers.
OnuaOnline is learning from reports attributable to CitiNewsroom that the manufacturers had to walk out of the meeting for the meeting to continue.
The action of the Trade Minister comes after the Cement Manufacturers opted out of a meeting with him on July 01, 2024, because the minister insisted on holding it in the presence of the media.
Source:onuaonline.com