Government Demonstrates Commitment To Pozzolana Cement

The government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting local industry by signing an agreement with Pozzolana Ghana Limited (PGL) to supply cement across the regions for the construction of schools and housing units. The Architecture Engineering Service Limited (AESL), State Housing Company and SADA are spearheading the initiative and have signed Memorandum of Understanding to execute government projects with proportional Pozzolana cement, Mr Vivek Garg, PGL Managing Director, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday. He said PGL was transporting thousands of bags of Pozzolana cement to all AESL regional offices across the country to be used in implementing the government�s programme of removing schools under trees. Mr Garg said as part of the package, PGL is organizing training programmes for AESL staffs, contractors and construction workers in the regions on the proper usage of Pozzolana cement. He appealed to contractors and AESL staff to participate in the programme to acquire new skills in the construction industry. The State Housing Company is building its new estates in Adenta using Pozzolana cement mainly for its concrete works, blocks and drainage systems. Mr Garg said PGL and the country stoodat the threshold of transforming the construction industry with its low cost Pozzolana cement produced from clay and palm kernel. Mr Garg commended the management and staff of AESL, SHC and other government officials working on the projects for their support and that their implementation of government directives had been a boost for PGL. Meanwhile, PGL is offering free 50 bags of Pozzolana cement on any 500 plus bags bought in the Greater Accra Region. Mr Garg said Pozzolana produced cost-efficient mortar and concrete, improved the workability of mortar and concrete and reduced the heat of hydration, bleeding and segregation of concrete. �It minimizes the effect of sulphate attack on concrete and mortar. It also reduces the effect of alkali aggregate reactivity and is more suitable for polluted environments like abandoned refuse sites,� he said. Pozzolana was developed and approved by the government as a new construction material for any type of building. The Ghana Building and Road Research Institute conducted extensive research on the production of Pozzolana from clay and has exclusively licensed Pozzolana Ghana Limited to produce the cement.