Ghanaian billionaire Ibrahim Mahama pledges 5,000 bags of cement to Hohoe flood victims

Ghanaian billionaire Ibrahim Mahama has pledged 5,000 bags of cement to help residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by severe flooding in Hohoe in Ghana’s Volta Region.

The donation will be provided through Dzata Cement, the cement business owned by Mahama, and is intended to support reconstruction efforts as affected families begin rebuilding their homes.

The pledge was announced on October 2 by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama during a visit to flood-affected communities in Hohoe. The president said the owner of Dzata Cement, whom he identified as his younger brother, had committed the cement to households whose homes were destroyed.

The flooding affected communities along the River Dayi after heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise and spill into low-lying areas. According to Citi Newsroom, about 5,140 residents and 412 houses across 11 communities were affected.

The disaster has created an urgent need for shelter and building materials. Earlier reports from Ghana News Agency documented widespread damage to homes and livelihoods in Hohoe Zongo, with residents appealing for assistance after floodwaters destroyed property and collapsed buildings.

The cement pledge adds private-sector support to the government’s emergency response. President Mahama also presented relief supplies to affected households, including rice, gari, mattresses and detergent, while the National Disaster Management Organisation has been involved in the relief effort. 

For Mahama, the intervention comes through one of the businesses he has built alongside his wider mining interests. He founded Engineers and Planners in 1997 and later expanded into cement manufacturing through Dzata Cement, which operates a cement processing plant in Tema with annual capacity of about 2.6 million tonnes.

Mahama has also been involved in other philanthropic initiatives in Ghana. In June, Billionaires.Africa reported that he offered 100 jobs to Ghanaians returning from South Africa amid a wave of xenophobic attacks, following earlier assistance to a returning Ghanaian entrepreneur. 

The 5,000 bags of cement are expected to help households whose properties suffered structural damage during the floods as authorities continue assessing the needs of affected communities.

The pledge is a direct contribution from Mahama’s business interests toward the recovery effort, while government agencies and local authorities continue coordinating emergency assistance and longer-term reconstruction in the affected areas.