Ghana Standards Authority intensifies market swoops and warns traders

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) will intensify its swoops across the country to rid the Ghanaian market of substandard goods regardless of where the products were made or who the importers or manufacturers are.

The increase in market surveillance is part of the Authority’s efforts to check the proliferation of fake and substandard products in Ghana and ensure a level playing field for all traders.

Substandard goods cost lives but they are often smuggled, the importers or producers pay no tax and they severely disadvantage legally operating businesses. In effect they cheat the government of badly-needed revenue, harm consumers, destroy businesses and harm government’s job creation efforts.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said, the GSA is keen to ensure the protection of consumers who spend their hard-earned money to buy products, which do not meet the minimum standards.

Besides, it would prevent the situation where Ghana would be seen as a dumping ground for unwarranted goods, thereby destroying genuine Ghanaian businesses.

“The GSA’s mandate is to protect consumers whilst facilitating trade and we will ensure Ghana is well-served! Ghana needs to be a destination where countries come to shop knowing that the quality of products purchased in Ghana is world-class. We are hosting the African Continental Free Trade Area and we must show it in the quality of goods both on our markets and those exported.” Prof Alex Dodoo Director-General of the GSA, said.

“You can be assured that the Authority would continue to roll-out measures to clear the system of such fake products to secure the health and lives of Ghanaians and maintain the good name of Ghana,” he said.

The GSA appeals to Ghanaians to cooperate with the organization to help clean up the country of shoddy products while ensuring that punitive measures such as prosecution and naming and shaming of culprits were adopted to fight the menace.

The GSA has increasingly, through its activities at the ports and on the markets seized volumes of substandard electrical cables and would further tighten its operations at the nation’s borders and ports to prevent the entry as well as sale of substandard goods.

”We must ensure that we protect ourselves by offering the best available standards at the end of the day,” he said.

The GSA called on various trade associations to cooperate with it to ensure that all traders in Ghana are offering world-class products and that no one is undercutting the competition by either selling substandard goods or evading taxes to the detriment of the nation.

The Authority would continue to collaborate with all relevant and appropriate authorities to ensure strict adherence to national and international law.

Established in August 1967, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is the National Statutory Body responsible for the management of the nation’s quality infrastructure.

The GSA’s mission is to contribute to the growth of industry, protect consumers and facilitate trade through metrology, standardization and conformity assessments (that is Testing, Inspection and Certification).

It provides the necessary assurance that goods and services are of Acceptable quality and also promotes the growth of industry, enhances sustainable development and contributes to good public governance.

The Authority is legally mandated to undertake National Standards development and dissemination, Testing Services, Inspection Activities, Product certification scheme, Calibration, Verification and Inspection of Weights, Measures and Weighing and Measuring Instruments.

Source: ghananewsagency.org