The country’s pioneer cement producer, Ghana Cement Limited (Ghacem), and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have launched the Ghacem Mobile Cement Academy to train over 2,000 cement users across the country.

The two institutions also launched the E-payment platform that would facilitate the payment process for customers irrespective of their locations.

The collaboration has led to the building of a mobile container with various facilities to help train the targeted artisans across the country.

Bridging gap

At the launch of the event on the KNUST Campus in Kumasi, the Chairman of the Ghacem Cement Foundation, Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, stated that the collaboration was to enhance customer excellence, as well as bridge the gap between industry and academia for national development.

“There is the urgent need to seek continuous improvement for delivering customer excellence as a leading cement manufacturer in Ghana for our deserving loyal customers and partners,” Nana Agyensaim said.

He further noted that the cement producer was “focused on improving the profitability of our customers through improved services and products, while we strive to stay reasonably profitable as a company”.

Commenting on the collaboration between the two giant institutions, he stressed that it “is academy and industry that will move this country, and that is why I am proud of Ghacem for this initiative.”

Nana Agyensaim also indicated that the time for assumptions was over, and that it was important to invest in research and ensure that academia and industry collaborated to transform the country.

The Assin Kushea Chief further encouraged the government to strengthen its efforts to ensure a level playing field in the cement industry for the greater good of the Ghanaian economy.

Collaborations

The Chief Commercial Officer of Ghacem, Mr Ebenezer Somuah, on behalf of the Managing Director stated that Ghacem was forging meaningful and strategic collaborations such as the Ghacem “Quarry Life Awards, which gave opportunity to biodiversity students of universities to compete with the rest of the world in terms of innovations in reclamation and maintenance of the natural habitats, especially at our quarry sites”.

He re-emphasised Ghacem’s objective of putting customers at the centre of its entire operations by placing premium on the product plus service offered to its customers.

Mr Somuah further called on stakeholders and partners to ensure more of such collaborations for mutual benefit, adding that the Ghacem Board would continue to support such moves.

Research is important

The Provost of the College of Arts and Built Environment of KNUST, Prof. John Tiah Bugri, expressed the university’s delight for officially launching the Mobile Cement Academy upon the signing of the collaborative agreement in 2019.

He added that the impact of research was important for the university and that they had been able to deliver impactful researches in collaboration with industry, saying the uptake of the research by industry was good.