By Yusupha Jawo
Mr. Momodou Lamin Hydra, the General Manager of Jah Oil Company and manufacturer of Jah Cement has revealed that his company presently has over 700 Gambians in its employment list just for its cement operations alone.
“We have directly employed over 700 Gambians through our cement operations and I challenge these Senegal Cement Importers to tell Gambians how many people they employ. Let them come out with their tax records and social security identification details of their staff if they have any” Hydara queries.
In a special interview with this medium, he enunciated that businesses don’t create policies, but when the government makes a policy, everyone should abide by it.
Hydara decried the negative actions of people who have been labeled as ‘Senegal Cement Importers’ and have most recently been targeting his company’s cement operations with mudslinging. He stated, “In terms of taxes, Jah Oil alone pays more taxes than all of these so-called Senegal Cement Importers combined together as their cumulative tax is not even up to 100 million Dalasi.”
Gambians are aware and better informed about who contributes to the economy, he voiced out.
“I do not call them Importers, but I call them ‘Senegal Cement Importers’ because they are bent on ensuring Senegalese domination of our local economy. They are just all about creating jobs for Senegal to the detriment of Gambians. These people have never imported cement from anywhere other than in Senegal,” he asserted.
Arguing that only people who want to keep flooding the market with ‘Made in Senegal Cement’ are attacking Jah Cement.
“The reason is because they know we are here to put an end to their fraudulent exploitation of Gambians, they make millions in their exploitation and some of them left their bases in Europe and America to come to the Gambia just for this evil scheme.
GM Hydara added that the 3 local cement factories have invested millions of dollars and governments everywhere protect its cottage industries, maintaining that even Senegal has protectionist policies that hinder Gambian-made goods from having access to its territory.
“They are only fighting us, because of our impacts in the market, the jobs we have created locally, and our exposure of their fraudulent scheme,” he added.
