General News of Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-12-12
Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Prof. Alex Dodoo
The Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) Prof. Alex Dodoo has disclosed that about 80 percent of cables imported into the country is substandard.
He said the cables failed to meet a conductor resistance test, an exercise conducted by the Authority in November.
“The conductor resistance tests revealed that most imported cables were way off, when I say way off I mean 10 times bad, five times bad.
“We will not allow that, it is a simple thing. At the end of the day it is unconscionable to allow products that can harm to be on our market, so the cable issue for us is an issue which is not even up for negotiation,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday.
However, three local cable manufacturing companies passed the test.
Prof Dodoo said the Authority has started a vigorous campaign to ensure that goods imported into or manufactured in the country do not only meet international standards but also local standards.
On the need for Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana goods, he said the Authority is prepared to promote made in Ghana goods only if they meet specified standards.
He said Ghanaians should not be made to purchase made in Ghana products simply because they are made in Ghana even when they are not of excellent quality and do not offer value for money.
This means that all products must meet the required standards before they are put on the market and sold for consumption.
“We are going to promote made in Ghana but we have to promote made in Ghana on one condition, that made in Ghana is of world-class standards.
“What we are telling artisans is that it is our job to support you to produce according to standards so that you can sell better. It is frustrating for a consumer to buy a six dining chair set and put counters under one just for it to be standard, it is frustrating.”
Prof Dodoo disclosed that from January 2018, there will be no product sold in Ghana that has not been certified by the GSA and Trade Ministry and if people bring in substandard products into the country, they will be dealt with.
He said there are big issues with standardisation in the country, but the Authority is stressing the need for standards “so that when you send anyone to go and do anything, it will be done in the way that you intend it to be done and you will get value for money.
“At the end of the day, we want to ensure that the Ghanaian consumer can buy made in Ghana goods with confidence, but equally, we are not going to allow goods to be dumped on us. We will not allow that.
“We need to grow our industries, we need to compete with the world and we can only compete with the world when our standards meet global standards,” he stressed.
Prof Dodoo said the Authority is poised to enforce the over 3,000 established standards for products manufactured or imported into the country and nothing will stop them.
Even tissue papers have standards, he said, adding “we even have standards for Hausa Koko, akpeteshi and the like.”
Prof Dodoo said the days where standards were only enforced for exports are over.
For him, Ghanaians deserve quality goods as well and when they patronize made in Ghana goods they should do that on condition that they are of good quality and have passed both local and world-class standards.
“We want to serve notice that the government has been categorically clear on what should be achieved that Ghanaian consumers deserve to get value for every single Ghana cedi they spend.
“To do that, it means that when you buy one litre of petrol, you must get one litre. Our industries must be able to compete with others fairly, if we allow goods into this country that do not meet our standards and yet we expect our companies to produce to the highest standards then something is wrong,” he added.
