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Vice President of the Ghana Progressive Road Contractors Association, Hammond Larbi, is urging the government to take swift action to slash cement prices, describing the current rate of GH₵120 per bag as outrageous and unjustifiable.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Larbi lamented the toll high cement prices are having on contractors and everyday Ghanaians, especially at a time when other key economic indicators are improving.
“This GH₵120 per bag price is exploitative and unjust to the average citizen,” he said. “It’s affecting our ability to execute contracts and increasing the cost of living for everyone.”
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Mr. Larbi’s concerns reinforce similar sentiments expressed by Minister for Roads and Highways Kwame Kwamea, who previously suggested GH₵95 as a more reasonable price. But the road contractors’ association believes even that figure remains excessive.
“The minisminister 95 cedis, but I believe it can be lower. We should be buying it for 70 cedis,” Mr. Larbi emphasised.
He argued that recent macroeconomic improvements—including the strengthening of the cedi from GH₵16 to GH₵10 per dollar and a decline in fuel prices—should naturally lead to lower production and distribution costs for cement manufacturers.
“Even now that the dollar has dropped, manufacturers have refused to bring the price down. The 95 cedis proposed by the minister is still too much. It should be about 70 cedis, not just for contractors but for all cement users,” he said.
Mr. Larbi accused cement manufacturers of manipulating market conditions and failing to reflect gains from a stabilising economy, despite previous engagements with stakeholders.
“They keep citing exchange rate pressures, but the data doesn’t support that anymore,” he argued.
He is therefore calling on the government to step in decisively and regulate cement prices in line with the current economic climate to t e construction costs and support infrastructure development across the country.
The call comes amid growing public frustration over rising building material prices, which many believe are impeding Ghana’s development agenda and worsening the housing deficit.
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