By Kebba Secka
Sheriff Faye, the Operational Manager of Jah Multi Industrial Company Limited, on Friday February 22nd, disclosed that works have started on their cement production plant, to enable them begin full production of cement earlier next year.
Faye made this and other disclosures in a press briefing held at the Company’s factory premises in Bafuloto, in the West Coast Region. Faye however used the occasion to assure Gambians that the Company is committed to supply the local market with enough cement, before they begin full operations; that in trying to earn the confidence of consumers, they currently have two vessels waiting to be unloaded at port; that they will make sure two vessels of cement will dock at the port every ten days. On the present state of cement scarcity, Faye said within a period of two months, the constraint of cement supply will be a thing of the past; that his Company can meet the demand for cement in the country, and rejected all allegations of incapability.
Taking reporters on a conducted tour of the factory, Faye said they have built four new silos with their machines; that each silo and machine has the capacity to re-bag two thousand, five hundred bags of fifty kilograms of cement, which is equivalent to ten thousand metric tons.
“If the silo system under construction is ready, it will have the capacity to make two hundred thousand bags of cement every hour. This work is expected to complete in two months,” he explained. Faye assured consumers of enough supply of cement by the end of April. He disclosed some socio economic contributions made by the Company in terms of financing the construction of feeder roads, a community Police Station, and Mosques among others. He said the Company was established in 2012, and started with four machines; that now they operate with twelve machines and employ over two hundred staff, who operate on three shifts.
In a press release, the company notes that its cement is imported from Spain and Algeria, and bagged in the Gambia. It points out that as the largest cement producer in the Gambia, Jah Multi Industry has the capacity to produce 4,200 bags an hour; 33,600 bags in 8hrs and 108,000 bags in 24 hrs or close to 300,000 bags at full capacity. This, it says, is enough to supply the entire West Coast and Greater Banjul Regions.
“At the regional level, there are two outlets in Farafenni and Basse, to meet the demand,” the release stated. According to the release, the cost of Tiger Cement remains at D250 per 50 kg bag at the factory and at all Jah Oil outlets with a minimum purchase of 100 bags.
According to the release, Jah Multi Industry is Gambian owned and Gambian based Company, dealing in cement production. The Company was established in 2012, and is a subsidiary of the Jah Group, established in 2008 with Jah Oil, as the brand for our Petrol Stations. The Company is one of the largest employers of Gambians in the private sector, with 300 direct employees and 150 temporary staff.
It informs that plans are being made to construct a grinding stone to manufacture cement in the Gambia, in the near future.
