Nsiah’s project wins Ghacem QLA competition

Mr. Paul K. Nsiah, a 37-year-old lecturer at the Sunyani campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has won the maiden Quarry Life National Awards (QLA) organized by the cement manufacturer, GHACEM Ltd.

The awards ceremony  held in Accra   saw Mr. Nsiah’s project  “The potentials of pennisetum purpureum as a biological geotextile stabilizing slopes to promote biodiversity in reclaiming quarry sites” win the  GHc 12,000 prize at stake

His closest competitor, Japheth Roberts, who placed second with his project about the “Impact of quarrying on biodiversity: A case study of the Limestone Quarry at Akosombo,” took home GHc 7,200, as Vivian Arthur, the third placed, won GHc 3,600 with her project, “Topsoil characterization for sustainable rehabilitation work at the Akosombo quarry to promote biodiversity.”

Five projects, including those of Abraham Allotey and Tarcisius Dapilah, were selected for the QLA initiative which seeks to source ideas towards the effective management of biodiversity in all mining sites of HeidelbergCement (HC) Group, the mother company of GHACEM.

In his speech, the Managing Director of GHACEM, Mr. Morten Gade, congratulated the winners for their fantastic research works on promoting biodiversity, indicating GHACEM would implement the “fantastic creative ideas put before us by these noble researchers and students of ecology and land reclamation.”

He noted that the QLA initiative testified that indeed, theHeidelbergCement (HC) Group had “set itself apart from its contemporaries of major, international cement manufacturers.”

Mr. Gade expressed gratitude to the jury and coordinators of the QLA, especially Mr. Joseph Mensah, the National Coordinator and Benny Fiifi Ashun communications coordinator for their immense contributions that have propelled the success of the maiden competition.

The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms. Sherry Ayitey, who was commended GHACEM for the resources and attention invested into the promotion of biodiversity at its mining concessions.

This, she noted, signified the exceptional importance that the country’s foremost manufacturer attached to its work, and more importantly the welfare of communities where they operate.

“This is what we should be doing, and I therefore urge every company engaged in the cement and quarry business in the country to do,” she said.

Present at the event were top Executives of Ghacem and the QLA. They included, Mr. Daniel Gauthier, Chairman Ghacem Board and Management Board Member Heidelberg Cement Group, Germany; Jean-Marc Junon, Chief Operating Officer of Heidelberg Cement Africa; Mr. Akhilesh Gupta, Director of Manufacturing and Engineering HTC; Jens Wold, Quarry Manager Ghacem/ West Africa Quarries Limited; Mr. Daniel Amlalo , Ag Executive Director EPA and Dr. Erasmus Owusu, a National Jury member.

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