The price of cement has been hiking rapidly since the beginning of the year and now stands at D300 per 50 kg bag, the highest ever recorded. The Gambia Journal has learnt that a delegation of Sarahule-speaking businessmen have recently had an audience with President Yahya Jammeh at State House to make known their dismay at the price hikes and shortages they suspect are part of  a game of profiteering by  business magnate Amadou Samba and his GASEM cement company. Mr. Samba is a close business associate of President Jammeh and has often acted as front for him, as he did with the under-cover purchase of the Daily Observer newspaper. About six years ago the Gambian leader reportedly used Amadou Samba to buy the country’s then most influential newspaper to turn it into praise-sheet for his government. The businessmen were said to have denounced Gasem’s de facto monopoly of the cement market, its regular creation of artificial shortages and the now almost daily increase in prices. Though last year’s spate of construction works in the run up to the Banjul AU support raised demands for cement substantially, duty on cross-border import was made almost retaliatory.