By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Members of the Association of Cement Importers and Traders Alliance of the Gambia have accused local cement bagging companies of underfilling bags with cement and selling less than the advertised 50kg to consumers.
They are now calling on the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) to take action to ensure that consumers receive the total value for their money.
On Saturday, October 12th, 2024, association members made these allegations to the press after a daylong tour of stores and retail shops to determine the weight of cement bags from various local bagging companies operating in the country.
The members alleged that some local bagging companies are underfilling the 50kg bags of cement they sell to the public by bagging 41-48 kg and passing them off as 50kg bags. They consider this practice to be cheating and a violation of market rules.
During the tour, members learned that only Salam Company currently sells 50kg bags of cement to customers in The Gambia. They noted that bags of cement purchased from retailers Gacem and Jah Oil did not weigh 50kg when checked.
They described the development as worrying and cheating of Gambian Consumers’ mega resources by giving them bags of cement that are less than 50kgs while calling on the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to address the situation, which is equivalent to ripping off many unconscious Gambians engaging in construction works.
“We have uncovered that certain local bagging companies selling cement are not selling the right quantity of cement. They package the 50kg bags they sell to the public. There are companies that package 41kgs, 43kgs, 45kgs to up to 49kgs in 50kgs bags that are unsuspiciously sold to the public without their notice; this is very unfair and against the rules of competition,” said Momodou Jobe, member of Cement Importers and Traders Alliance.
He added, “We went to many retail shops and outlets, but what we uncovered is amazing, and so far, it’s only Salam Trading that is selling the actual 50kg bags of cement. After buying and weighing bags of cement from Gacem, we realized that their bags of cement weigh between 45 and 49 kgs, and as for Jah Oil, they are selling 41 to 47 kgs as 59kg bags; this is unfortunate, and it has to stop.”
According to him, local bagging companies are surcharging between 5 to 15 percent more than they consume, resulting in huge profits of millions.
These companies, he said, are profiting from consumers, calling on the GCCPC to step up and do the right thing by weighing cement bag packages for sale to unsuspicious Gambians who are paying for more than what they deserve to get
“The Gambian consumers are the ones suffering because no one is getting what they paid for; per kilogram, you are paying more for cement. Image you go and buy cement for D380 to get 50kgs, but you are getting 40kgs, can you imagine that they sub charge you for 10kgs, and this is what happens when there is no competition in the market,” Jobe observed.
Baba Drammeh, also a member of the alliance, also expressed disappointment towards local bagging companies whose actions affect local income earners in their construction works as they are paying more than they should get.
He argued that these companies are getting millions of dollars in return for cheating consumers by charging up to D57 per bag of cement weighing less than 50 kg.
“The Government needs to step up here and regularize the market by ensuring that each bag of cement sold to consumers weighs the 50kgs they labeled on their bags. To me, this is daytime robbery that can only be stopped by the Government by imposing penalties on those who are only scared of competition and strengthening the monopoly of the cement business in the country,” Baba Drammeh disclosed to journalists.
The development follows growing concerns among cement importers and traders’ alliance due to the Government’s on cement transported by road, exceeding previous amounts paid.
They considered the Gambia Government’s action unfair, enabling local bagging companies to monopolize the cement sector.
