Footage from the event, convened by the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, captures the minister's demand that the cement manufacturers leave before proceedings began.
"I was invited by the Chamber of Manufacturing, not the Association of Cement Manufacturers. Can they leave?" the minister asked.
He elaborated that he had already engaged with the manufacturers, noting that this meeting was intended specifically for discussions with the Chamber of Construction.
"It's either I leave or they leave," the minister declared, despite attempts by representatives from both associations to justify the manufacturers' presence.
Following the minister's insistence, Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, Emmanuel Tettey Martey, requested the cement manufacturers to exit.
"Respectfully, our manufacturers, our minister has stated clearly that he has already met you and you have articulated your issues to him and to us. He thought that he was meeting only the chamber. So that is where we stand. We don’t want a situation where the minister will leave, then we wouldn’t have achieved the purpose for which the meeting was called," he appealed.
An intervention by Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction, Nana Opare Kwafo, who also holds the title of Kyidomhene of Aburi, was firmly opposed by the minister.
The Cement Manufacturers opted out of a meeting with the trade minister on 1 July 2024 because the minister insisted on holding it in the presence of the media.