The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Dzata Cement Limited, Ibrahim Mahama, has recounted how a remark by a former boss of Ghacem that no Ghanaian could build a cement manufacturing plant motivated him to establish Dzata Cement.
Speaking at the fifth anniversary celebration of Dzata Cement, Mr Mahama said the comment strengthened his determination to demonstrate that Ghanaians could establish and own large-scale businesses.
He recalled responding to the former Ghacem executive by saying: “Morten, you’re lying. I pray you live and see this plant being built.”
According to Mr Mahama, his previous experience as a cement transporter and mining contractor had already exposed him to the cement manufacturing industry and convinced him that establishing a plant was achievable.
He said that while following his trucks to Ghacem’s facility in Takoradi, he used the opportunity to observe the company’s operations and study how cement was produced.
“I looked at the structure and said, look, I could build one,” he recalled.
Mr Mahama subsequently travelled to Germany, where he engaged equipment manufacturers and secured financing from banks to develop the Dzata Cement plant.
He said the project encountered significant financial and operational difficulties during construction, but support from his younger brother and others helped the company complete the installation of the necessary equipment.
He also acknowledged the role played by distributors who supported Dzata Cement during its early stages, particularly at a time when the company struggled to raise funds to clear imported cement.
“They all joined hands together, the cement came, we allocated it to them, and then Dzata Cement started,” he said.
Mr Mahama said the establishment of Dzata Cement formed part of a broader ambition to demonstrate that Ghanaians could build successful businesses rather than depend solely on foreign companies for employment and investment.
“There are other ventures that I want to prove to Ghanaians that we can’t always be beggars and we can’t only just be employees to foreign companies. We can build it ourselves,” he said.
Mr Mahama also credited former Trade Minister Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen for supporting the project during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“Alan, wherever you are, I’m giving you a thumbs up. Thank you very much for standing behind us,” he said.
He used the occasion to encourage business leaders to create opportunities for younger people to take on leadership responsibilities and gain experience in managing businesses.
“In life, some of us should learn these lessons. We won’t live forever. So sometimes we should give the children the opportunity to be able to take that risk of managing,” he said.
Mr Mahama said his business philosophy was to build companies with the next generation in mind by gradually transferring management responsibilities to younger people.
He explained that the approach involved working alongside the younger generation initially, employing them as they grew and equipping them with the skills needed to eventually take over management responsibilities.
“What we do is that we start running together and then as our children grow, we employ them in the business, we teach them, and then we go into retirement,” he said.
