Business mogul Ibrahim Mahama has called for greater belief in the Ghanaian and entreated the state to offer deliberate support to grow more local entrepreneurs.
He stressed that entrepreneurship was not only about creating a successful company, but also ensuring that the enterprise survives its founder.
Mr Mahama, who is the Founder, Sole Shareholder and Group Chief Executive Officer of DZATA Holdings, said one of his motivations for establishing Dzata Cement was to demonstrate that Ghanaians could build major businesses rather than remain dependent on foreign-owned enterprises.
“There are other ventures in which I want to prove to Ghanaians that we can’t always be beggars and only be employees of foreign companies.
We can build it ourselves,” he said last Tuesday at the fifth anniversary celebration of Dzata Cement, a Portland cement production factory in Tema.
Mr Mahama said his experiences and achievement in establishing Dzata Cement were a validation of a conviction that Ghanaian entrepreneurs could conceive, finance, build and operate large-scale industrial businesses and create enterprises capable of competing in sectors critical to national development.
Background
The only wholly Ghanaian-owned cement manufacturing company, Dzata Cement, marked five years of resilience last Tuesday, showcasing the proof that indigenous companies can thrive in all areas.
Mr Mahama weathered significant financial, operational and market challenges to establish the company as a growing and recognised brand in the country’s construction industry.
Dzata Cement’s journey, therefore, represents more than the establishment of a manufacturing plant; it is a demonstration of the entrepreneurial vision of the founder of DZATA Holdings, who set out to challenge the long-held perception that large-scale industrial ventures, particularly in the cement industry, had to be built and owned by foreign companies.
ive years on, the cement manufacturing operation, located on a 10-acre plot near Tema Port, represents an investment of more than $100 million.
The plant uses technology from German equipment developer, Haver & Boecker, to produce Portland Cement, with bagging lines capable of averaging 120 bags per minute.
The company says its current operations have a capacity of about 80,000 bags a day, equivalent to approximately two million tonnes annually.
The company is expected to produce its 30 millionth bag of cement within days, providing a significant production milestone in its five years of operations.
Challenge younger people
Mr Mahama also urged those in leadership to challenge younger people with responsibility to help nurture a new generation of “doers who can take over from the current generation.
He said he had deliberately stepped away from the day-to-day management of Dzata Cement to give younger leaders the opportunity to take risks, acquire experience and develop their managerial capabilities.
“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 explained his broader succession philosophy: “What we do is that we start running together and then as our children grow, we employ them into the business, we teach them, and then we go into retirement.”
That philosophy is already reflected at Dzata, where his daughter, Nafisa Mahama, serves as Managing Director.
Transporter to manufacturer
Mr Mahama traced the origins of Dzata Cement to his days as a cement transporter and mining contractor.
His involvement in transporting cement gave him the opportunity to observe the industry closely, including the manufacturing and distribution processes.
Mr Mahama recalled following his trucks to the Ghacem facility in Takoradi and taking a closer look at the plant and how cement was produced.
Rather than seeing the enterprise as beyond the reach of a Ghanaian entrepreneur, the experience convinced him that he could build a similar facility.
“I looked at the structure and said, look, I could build one,” he recalled, saying that resolve became an investment decision.
Mr Mahama travelled to Germany, engaged equipment manufacturers and began putting together the financing required to establish the plant.
The project, however, was confronted by significant financial and operational difficulties during construction and installation.
At a critical stage, the business magnate said, his younger brother and other individuals provided support that helped complete the installation of the equipment.
Mr Mahama said the difficulties of bringing the project on stream did not derail the vision, but became part of the story of an entrepreneur determined to establish a Ghanaian-owned industrial operation in a highly competitive sector.
Distributors helped
He paid tribute to distributors who stood by the company during its difficult early period.
The challenges included raising funds to clear imported clinker, creating a difficult situation while the business was still trying to establish itself in the market.
The distributors, however, rallied around the company and helped it overcome the challenge.
“They all joined hands together, the cement came, we allocated it to them, and then Dzata Cement started,” Mr Mahama said.
He also acknowledged the support of former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, 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,” Mr Mahama said.
His entrepreneurial journey was also shaped by scepticism from some industry players.
Mr Mahama recalled an encounter with an expatriate executive who expressed doubts that a Ghanaian could build a cement plant.
He said the comment strengthened his determination to prove the doubters wrong.
Customers at the centre
The Managing Director of Dzata Cement, Nafisa Mahama, said the fifth anniversary was an opportunity to express gratitude to the customers whose confidence had helped the company to reach the milestone.
She said Dzata Cement was celebrating the anniversary with a deep sense of appreciation for customers who had believed in the brand and chosen its products for their construction projects.
She also thanked distributors, describing them as an essential part of the company's journey.
Ms Mahama acknowledged that some distributors had remained with Dzata Cement even during periods when the company faced significant challenges, helping it build the market presence it enjoys today.
She also described the employees as the heart of the company and paid tribute to their dedication, sacrifices and commitment to the business.
Ms Mahama pledged that employee welfare would remain a priority as the company entered the next phase of its development.
She expressed appreciation to local and international suppliers, GCB Bank, the government, state institutions and the Chamber of Cement Producers for their contributions and support.
She pledged management’s commitment to strengthening operations, maintaining the quality of Dzata Cement and improving services to customers and distributors.
Ms Mahama said the company would increase investment in its people to ensure that Dzata Cement developed the human capacity required to serve Ghana for generations.
Next phase
Beyond the anniversary, the company has outlined plans to strengthen its manufacturing capacity and market position.
Plant Director, Abderrahim Ouahab, said the company’s immediate priorities included expanding its cement portfolio, introducing additional grades and exploring a possible 25kg bag alongside the current 50kg packaging.
He said the company would also strengthen its laboratory, increase Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) training, pursue ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards; improve spare-parts and inventory management and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools in selected operations.
A major capital project is the installation of a 300-tonne-per-hour Multi Big Bag Receiver, designed to improve jumbo-bag handling, cement transfer, screening, dust collection and recycling.
The company also plans to expand storage capacity to 40,000 tonnes and develop an automated packing facility capable of about 6,000 tonnes a day.
The managers said the long-term target was to produce at least three million tonnes of cement annually.
The Finance Director, Godfred Barnes, said Dzata Cement’s progress had been built on hard work, sacrifice and resilience, stating that the company had navigated supply-chain disruptions, freight costs, inflation, exchange-rate volatility and operational pressures.
He said finance was not merely about counting money but protecting the company’s vision, with every department responsible for efficiency and financial sustainability.
Mr Barnes reaffirmed Dzata Cement’s ambition to become Ghana’s number-one cement manufacturing company by 2030, saying the first five years had laid the foundation while the next five would build the legacy through disciplined investment, stronger distribution, dependable production, customer service and tighter cost management.
The company also intends ultimately to expand into ready-mixed concrete and other cement-related products and services.
