Jah Oil Says Cement Crisis Stems From Banjul Port Limits, Harmattan Delays

By Adama Njie

Jah Oil has blamed Gambia’s deepening cement shortage on long-standing infrastructure constraints at the Port of Banjul and severe weather disruptions that have stalled offloading operations for weeks.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, General Manager Momodou Hydara said the company is being unfairly accused of creating an artificial shortage or raising prices, insisting the factory price remains fixed at D390 per bag.

“The root problem is the shallow draft of the access channel and the delays in dredging,” Hydara said.

“This crisis is not caused by Jah Oil. It is the result of limitations at the country’s main gateway.”

He said the port’s channel depth has remained at 9.5 metres for decades, making it impossible for modern cement vessels, which require up to 15 metres, to berth. As a result, Jah Oil has been forced to depend on ship-to-ship transfer operations at sea, a method he described as slow, costly and highly vulnerable to weather.

Hydara said the Harmattan season has repeatedly halted these transfers due to rough winds and high swells, leaving two vessels carrying 115,000 tonnes of cement stuck offshore since late November. The company said these delays have created a supply backlog that has spilt into the markets, where some retailers are selling cement for D500 to D600 per bag.

Hydara blamed the inflated prices on transporters and shopkeepers who, he said, are “exploiting the situation” despite buying at the official factory price. He added that Jah Oil has written to the Gambia Ports Authority for years, calling for urgent dredging and welcomed recent indications that a tender process is underway.

He believes supply would stabilise “within two to five days” if vessels could berth directly. To ease pressure on imports, Hydara said the company has invested in two daughter vessels to speed up offloading and is finalising its new Kafuta plant, which is expected to strengthen national availability.

“This is a structural issue, not a company issue,” he said. “Until the port is upgraded, the country will continue experiencing shocks like this.”