EPA officials at the Empire Cement factory
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has ordered Empire Cement Ghana Limited to shut down its factory operations with immediate effect over alleged air pollution and breaches of its environmental permit conditions.
The directive followed investigations by the EPA into several public complaints concerning air pollution and nuisance allegedly emanating from the company’s operations.
In an enforcement notice dated September 14, 2026, the EPA said its investigations had established sustained emissions of visible particulate and gaseous pollutants from the factory, with negative implications for the environment, adjoining land uses and public health.
The authority also found that the company had failed to submit its quarterly environmental monitoring returns, in violation of a condition of its environmental permit.
According to the notice, Empire Cement had also failed to implement key conditions of its permit, including the installation of appropriate state-of-the-art pollution control systems on all pollution discharge units to ensure compliance with the Ghana Standard for Environment and Health Protection-Requirements for Ambient Air Quality and Point Source/Stack Emissions (GS 1236:2019).
The EPA further said existing pollution control systems and auxiliary equipment were not being maintained in good working condition to reduce air pollution and keep emissions within permissible limits.
It said the company had also failed to effectively maintain dust-control plants within the factory and ensure that pollution control systems remained functional at all times.
Based on the findings, the EPA said Empire Cement was in breach of several conditions of its environmental permit and directed the company to suspend operations until it had taken corrective measures.
The company has been given until October 1, 2026 to submit its quarterly environmental monitoring returns in accordance with its permit.
It is also required to install state-of-the-art air pollution control systems and ensure that its existing pollution control systems and auxiliary equipment comply with the GS 1236:2019 emissions standards.
In addition, the EPA has directed the company to engage the affected community on the impacts of its operations and the measures being taken to mitigate them, and submit a report on the engagement to the authority.
The EPA said Empire Cement must notify it when the required pollution control systems had been installed to allow for inspection and a determination on whether operations could resume.
It stressed that the company could only restart operations after the installation of pollution control systems capable of meeting the prescribed emissions standards and after receiving written permission from the authority.
The EPA warned that failure to comply with the directive could result in further enforcement action authorised by law, including administrative penalties and other regulatory sanctions under the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080), and the conditions of the company’s environmental permit.
A Business Desk Report