By Amadou Jadama
Members of the Cement Importers and Traders Association has again blamed the current shortage of cement on the ‘bad’ decision of government to increase tariff on a bag of imported cement from D30 to D180 which has driven many imports to close up business.
They further alleged that the decision is designed to protect few individuals at the expense of the general population.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Baba Drammeh, a member of the association said government was wrong and unfair in reaching the decision to raise tariffs that high. “We found ourselves in a situation where government has chosen to collude with a few at the expense of us and the interest of the general public, and this totally wrong,” he said.
According to him, the people suffering the brunt of these misdirected policy are the teachers, the policemen and women, the young men and women in Europe and America trying to build a house for their families.
“These people are now made to pay significantly higher than they were paying for cement before. We urge the government to rescind this policy because it is uncalled for. It is wrong, illegal. and indefensible. The results are simple. We’ve seen it. Scarcity is what is happening now. You can hardly find cement across the Kombos or even in the provinces,” he said.
According to Drammeh, the government should be primarily interested in protecting the interest of the general public and not a selected few.
Another member, Momodou Jobe, described the protectionism policy as a failure. “Time is up for government to realise that its policy has failed and to backtrack for the interest of the country, because without cement, economic activity will suffer significantly in this country,” Mr Jobe said.
He dismissed suggestions that the country has capacity to manufacture cement. “We do not have limestone which is key ingredient in manufacturing cement. So, everyone is importing cement and not manufacturing. So, we should not allow a few companies to monopolise that trade. Anyone who is able to, willing to, and has the capacity, should be allowed to be involved in the trade,” Jobe said.
