MPs being taken on a tour round Empire Cement by Nana Obokomatta IX (R)
Members of the Parliament Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology have paid a working visit to Panbros Salt Industries and Empire Cement, a new cement factory being constructed along the Weija Road.
The MPs embarked on the tour in a bid to get first-hand information on some concerns raised by the salt company over the location of the cement factory.
Panbros Salt Industries petitioned the Committee over the issue, claiming that the new cement factory has the potential to pollute their salt product.
Members of the Committee led by the Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo, MP for Oforikrom Constituency in the Ashanti Region made the first stop at the Empire Cement and were met on arrival by Nana Obokomatta IX, a partner of the facility who engaged the Parliamentarians on a tour of the facility.
Their next stop was at the Panbros Salt Industries where the Parliamentarians were ushered in by the Managing Director, Michael Odartey Wellington, on a tour of their facility as well.
Addressing the media, Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo, underscored the importance of the visit that as members of the Parliament Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, it has the mandate to provide oversight of issues related to the environment.
“So we are here today to have a firsthand information as to whether the production of or bagging of cement, if it so happen will have a potential disastrous effect on the salt and the neighbourhood. Empire Cement and Panbros Salt have both taken us through their production process, we’ve asked questions and what is left are technical questions which require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Standards Board, Food and Drugs Authority to assist the committee with technical briefing then the committee will finalise and take a decision which will be made public.
“For now we have been told they only have a permit to do cement bag production but there is a process to do bagging of cement. What is in contention is whether they will get a permit to bag cement and EPA is the authority that gives the final permission. We’ve seen the distance between the two factories and it’ll also be factored during our technical discussion,” said Dr. Marfo.
Speaking in an interview with the media, Managing Director of Panbros Salt Industries, Mr. Wellington, thanked the Parliamentarians for heeding to their call.
“We’re certain in our mind that the final outcome will be good news to Ghanaians because we have kept insisting that a cement factory cannot be sited near a salt production factory because contamination will occur,” he pointed out.