PHOTO: CEMENCO management and local officials after a joint meeting
By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com>
HARPER, Liberia- Following a joint meeting with the local authorities in the southeastern Maryland County, the Managing Director of CEMENCO based in Monrovia has disclosed plans by his company to construct a cement factory in this area situated over 592 kilometers from the Liberian capital.
The proposed cement factory is expected to be constructed in the Maryland capital city, Harper and this will be the first ever factory of this kind built outside Monrovia.
Speaking to www.newspublictrust.com here at the end of the joint meetings with local officials on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, Cemenco Managing Director, William P. Gardner said, the planned construction of a new cement factory in this county is aimed at buttressing government’s efforts in decentralizing some major economic activities.
He said this is necessary, in order to reduce the major challenges the locals go through in accessing a major commodity like cement.
Mr. Garnder believes that with this it will give the ordinary people in southeastern Liberia the courage to build their homes and at the same time provide jobs opportunity for many young people in this area.
”We have spent almost a month here now in Harper since we established and opened our sub- Office, we are impressed with the closed working relationship with the county authority and the citizens,” the CEMENCO Managing Director said.
”This is a big plan that will ensure that end-users do not sell or buy a bag of cement beyond US$9.00 and will also help to boost the economic activities in the county,” Mr. Garnder added.
If dream comes to reality
If this plan comes to fruition, it is expected to be a big boost to the local construction industry not only in Maryland but the entire southeastern region.
Authorities of Maryland County are upbeat about the prospect of having a cement factory in their locality.
“Imagine, if this dream comes to reality, it will greatly help our citizens, people from Grand Kru, River Gee, Sinoe, and, Grand Gedeh Counties will no longer travel to Monrovia again to get cement. Month ago,” we joined the CEMENCO family to open its sub-office in Harper, Maryland County. A month after, we invited the CEMENCO Managing Director, Mr. William P. Gargner of CEMENCO came to Harper to see things for himself,” said Maryland County Superintendent George A. Prowd.
Superintendent Prowd noted that at the joint leadership meeting held in Harper, the managing director of CEMENCO officially disclosed plans to the county officials to build a factory to produce cement in Maryland to serve the southeastern counties.
”This is a welcoming news and our citizens are excited and can’t wait to see this happen. No more mud houses in Maryland,”. Superintendent Prowd asserted.
The Head of Maryland County used the occasion to command the CEMENCO family for choosing Maryland County as their base and at the same time providing job opportunities for Marylanders,.