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About 100 contractors, masons and artisans in the Tamale Metropolis were on Friday trained on the use of pozzolana cement to complement portland cement to reduce the cost of building. They were also schooled on how to mix Pozzolana cement with local sand and cement for plastering, concrete and the production of hydra form blocks for building. The training was jointly organised by Pozzolana Ghana Limited, Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and Architectural & Engineering Service Limited (AESL). Mr Anthony T. Baissana, Manager of AESL said high cost of building government projects was one of challenges the outfit face in the Northern Region. �This complementary initiative is good news for us especially that pozzolana supports the use of locally based materials and cement for construction works,� he said. Mr Baissana said his outfit would sensitise contractors undertaking various government projects to adopt the use of Pozzolana for a productive result. Mr Vivek Garg, Managing Director of Pozzolana said the product was water resistant and could be used for all types of buildings and drainages. �Currently AESL intends to use pozzolana cement for its schools under trees programme nationwide. For the first phase, pozzolana cement is intended for the building of 250 schools across the nation�, he said. Mr Garg presented 400 bags of cement towards the government schools under tree building and the SADA housing project as part of the company�s corporate social responsibility. Mr Gilbert Seidu Iddi, Chief Executive of SADA who received the donation said the authority would soon procure 50 block making machines for the Savanna Ecological Zone district to train youth groups to generate employment, reduce poverty and sand weaning in the region. He said SADA would make it mandatory for contractors who would be executing projects including clinics and tourism centres to use Pozzolana cement to reduce cost. Mr Iddi said in the area of agriculture, SADA would by the end of the year purchase 100 tractors to be distributed to farmer groups to support dry season farming. He thanked the management of pozzolana for the kind gesture and called on contractors to embrace the use of pozzolana cement since it is cost effective Alhaji I. S. Mahama President of Contractors Association in an interview with Ghana News Agency expressed joy and said the product would enhance the work of members. �Looking at the quality of the product and the demonstration I am convinced that it will give us value for money and good returns,� he said.