Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General, Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), says the Authority will continue with its enforcement exercises to clean the market of sub-standard electrical products. He said Ghana was hosting the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, and it was prudent to ensure compliance with good standards to ensure effective and efficient businesses within the continent. The Professor said this in Accra at a meeting with electrical cable dealers to collectively address issues of counterfeit electrical cables in the country. He said that in line with the Authority's mandate of protecting consumers and facilitating trade, it had been undertaking market surveillance to ensure adherence to the requirements of the GSA Act, 2022( Act 1078). He said over the past years, the GSA Enforcement Unit had embarked on several operations, identified and confiscated goods that did not comply with the applicable standards and laws. Data from its market surveillance shows a worrying trend of non-conformities in the electrical products sector, especially electrical cables. The Professor said it was in the interest of every business to succeed, but it must be done responsibly and in a fair manner devoid of bad practices. He said the presence of fake electrical cables in the country could lead to fire outbreaks and affect the brands of quality cables in the system. He said the Authority was committed to supporting businesses to thrive through fair means and encouraged the companies to visit the Authority for any issues or concerns. Prof Dodoo said the Authority, in collaboration with its partner, had trained 220 standard officers across the country to ensure the enforcement of standards in the country. Mr Stephen Adu, Head of Import Inspection, GSA advised participants on the procedures for approving imported electrical cables. He said the Authority conducted conformity assessment by way of inspection, sampling, and testing to ascertain the quality of the cables. The initiative, he stressed, would avoid the importation of inferior goods, and ensure healthy competition in the trading system. Mr George Anti, Head of Enforcement at GSA, advised the participants to go through the necessary procedures before using the Authority's mark on their products. He said the Authority had powers under the GSA Act, 2022( Act 1078) to shut down the company, which flouted the law. Dr Joseph Obeng, President Ghana Union of Traders' Association, advised electrical cable dealers to conform to standards to avoid punishment. He said the only thing that brought quality was standards, urging cable dealers to always demand certificates of conformity from their suppliers before engaging in business with them. Some of the cable dealers urged the Authority to be proactive in their enforcement exercises to flush out fake electrical cables in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency