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Business News of Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Source: GNA

Pozzolana supports Government's effort to eradicate schools under trees

Government’s policy of eradicating schools under trees across the country was on Wednesday boosted by the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) and Pozzolana Ghana Limited (PGL) who joined forces to help achieve the objective.

The two parties are joining forces to give credence to Private Public Partnership philosophy to lower the cost of construction of school buildings through the use of Pozzolana cement.

Mr Gari Kamins, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PMC Global Link, the mother company of PGL, reiterated the company’s commitment to provide Ghanaians with quality products, adding that the company was in the country to promote the building industry.

Mr Kamins said this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between PGL and AESL in Accra, and added that builders and construction firms will soon recognize the performances and benefits of the Pozzolana cement.

The signing ceremony was observed by PGL President Douglas Borgsdorf, Mr Vivek Garg, PGL Director and team of AESL Directors

A copy of the MOU obtained by the Ghana News Agency stated that, PGL will supply AESL about 150,000 bags of pozzolana cement for the building of 250 schools nationwide.

PGL would also under the agreement donate unspecified bags of Pozzolana cements to AESL for its northern sector projects.

Mr Kamins called on Ghanaians to promote the local manufacturing industries in order to protect the country’s raw material

He said PGL will intensify efforts to revamp the cement industry with its brand produced from clay and palm kernel shells, is also cheaper to produce and inexpensive as compared with Portland cement on the market.

He explained that in the wake of the huge housing deficit facing Ghana, natural and locally-produced Pozzolana cement provides a superior building product at a reduced cost of construction.

Mr Louis Satchmo A. Atongo, Managing Director of AESL, lauded the PGL for taking a giant step-towards revamping the building industry, stressing that the use of pozzolana cement will reduce the cost of building in the society.

He said Government was encouraging the use of local building materials and that Pozzolana cement which was made from silica, alumina and iron oxide was the best cement to complement the Portland cements in the building industry.

Mr Atongo tasked building contractors, private builders and stakeholders in the building industry to use Pozzolana cement to support the Portland cement in the construction industry.

PGL produces cost-efficient mortar and concrete, improves the workability of mortar and concrete and reduces the heat of hydration, bleeding and segregation of concrete.

It minimises the effect of sulphate attack in concrete and mortar. It also reduces the effect of alkali aggregate reactivity and is more suitable for polluted environments like abandoned refuse sites.

PGL manufacturers of Pozzolana cement was established in 2007 to complement the effort of local and international contractors in Ghana by reducing the cost of building, improve and promoting local building materials.

PGL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Valley, California-based PMC Global, currently operates one plant in Gamoa Mprumem in the Central Region but has plans to open a cement pre-mix plant and distribution depots in the near future.

Pozzolana was developed and approved by the government as a new construction material, perfect for any type of building.

The Ghana Building and Road Research Institute, conducted extensive research and development activities on the production of Pozzolana from clay and has exclusively licensed Pozzolana Ghana Limited to produce the cement for building materials.**