Cement market opens up in Liberia

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Liberian cement market, dominated by a single company for over 40 years, is open for competition at last.   Earlier this week the first shipment of 12,500 metric tonnes of high grade cement entered the Liberian Port of Monrovia, with another shipload of 25,000 mt scheduled to arrive in June and every month thereafter.   The deal was made possible under a JV partnership arrangement between Srimex Enterprises of Liberia and Fortress Group of New York & Hong Kong, a global trade finance and sourcing company for commodities and consumer goods.   The President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has strongly advocated for free markets for cement and other commodities in Liberia as part of her Government's efforts to rebuild post-conflict Liberia, was on hand at the Freeport of Monrovia to receive the chartered vessel, along with the Minister of Commerce, Government Officials, the management of both Fortress and Srimex, as well as Ms. Morenike Adepoju, the Managing Director and other staff from Ecobank Liberia who made financing the transaction possible.   Beaming with pride, the President firmly declared "...the market for cement is open, and all of our people stand to benefit, this has always been a goal of this Government."   Fortress Group has established subsidiaries in Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a strategic pan-African investment agenda to enhance the capacity of local partners, while at the same time ensuring profitable returns on investment and successful execution of trading transactions.   *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *