No Health Risk For setting Cement Factory At McCarthy Hills - Tina Mensah Declares
The Deputy Minister-designate for Health explained that the company has the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval which attested to the fact that due diligence was done before sitting the factory in the area.
Snr. Kwame Kusi 
Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija- Gbawe Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, who doubles as the Deputy Minister-designate for Health, Honourable Tina Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, has allayed the fear of residents that setting up Empire Cement Ghana Limited under the government’s flagship programme, 1 District, 1 Factory (1D1F) initiative has no health implementations on the residents in the area.
Residents of McCarthy Hills in Accra petitioned the Appointments Committee of Parliament following the location of a cement factory in the area captured under the government’s flagship programme, 1 District, 1 Factory.
Residents feared that they stand the risk of serious health implications from the pollution that would emanate from the factory.
There are also fears that the sitting of the factory is so close to the Weija Dam which supplies about 50% of water to residents of Accra.
Land Lords at McCarthy Hills have been engaging several state institutions to stop Empire Cement Ghana Limited, the owners of the factory but to no avail.
A first letter from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, dated 27th August 2020 to the owners of the company to halt production until they review the environmental impact assessment report failed.
The company allegedly did not heed to a second letter bothering on the same assessment from the EPA.
In another letter petitioning, the president and captioned “Petition to stop construction of a cement factory on Panbrose Salt Industries Limited land.” The presidency responded with a letter to the owners of the factory to halt operation but failed.
However, when the Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija- Gbawe Constituency was asked by the members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament when she appeared before the committee on Monday, June 7, 2021, Mrs Mensah responded in an affirmative.
He assured the residents and Land Lords at McCarthy Hills that the establishment of the cement factory named Empire Cement Ghana Limited is not going to have any environmental effects on the residents.
This, according to her, was due to the latest technology being used by the Empire Cement Ghana Limited.
The Deputy Minister-designate for Health explained that the company has the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval which attested to the fact that due diligence was done before sitting the factory in the area.
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu
