The GHACEM Cement Foundation on Friday presented 20,000 bags of cement estimated at 230,000 Ghana cedis to 220 health and educational institutions and communities in the Southern Sector of the country.
Vouchers for the cement were presented to representatives of the beneficiary institutions and communities in the Western, Central, Greater Accra, Volta and Eastern Regions.
The awards ceremony, held in Takoradi, was under the theme; “Supporting Self-Help Initiative”.
In an address read for him, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, said the government would always provide the congenial atmosphere for businesses to thrive.
He said prospective investors were required to abide by the laws regulating industry and trade and respect human rights.
Mr Aidoo urged beneficiary communities to sustain the communal spirit that endeared them to the Foundation.
He expressed regret that the communal spirit of the Ghanaian was slowly dying and it was high time that it was re-kindled so as to reduce the over-dependence on government for virtually everything.
He asked the beneficiaries to use the donation for the purpose intended saying some people wrongly took what belonged to a community on pretext of borrowing for use to be replaced later.
“The notion of what belongs to government belongs to nobody should be discarded”, Mr Aidoo said.
We should be honest and sincere in dealing with our people so as to win their confidence for the common good, he added.
Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, Chairman of the Foundation and a member of the Board of GHACEM Limited, said since the establishment of the Foundation nine years ago, GHACEM had donated about 300,000 bags of cement at a cost 3,000,000 Ghana cedis to over 1,800 communities.
He said the Foundation was an important part of GHACEM’s corporate social responsibility programmed to assist deprived communities to improve health and educational infrastructure.
Nana Agyensaim said the Foundation would not hesitate to take drastic action against any institution found to have used the donation for other purposes and that such culprits would forever be blacklisted.