A policy think tank has raised concerns over the country’s prolonged delay in passing a Consumer Protection Law and a Competition Law, warning that the absence of these regulations leaves consumers unprotected and markets vulnerable to anti-competitive practices.
The call was made by CUTS International Accra at the launch of the book Consumer Rights and Justice in Ghana: A Legal Compass, authored by Francisca Kusi Appiah, Vice Dean of the UPSA Law Faculty.
The event coincided with the eve of World Competition Day, observed on December 5 to mark the adoption of the United Nations Set of Rules on Restrictive Business Practices in 1980.
The ceremony was chaired by Professor Justice Samuel Kofi Date-Bah, who wrote the foreword to the book.
Speaking on the sidelines, Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako, Director for the West Africa Regional Centre of CUTS International, said Ghana “has waited long enough” for the laws, describing the delay as a legal vacuum that weakens public trust and leaves citizens exposed in everyday transactions.
He stressed that without a strong consumer protection framework, basic rights, including the right to safety, information, choice, redress, and fair value, are often violated.
Citing a recent CUTS study, he highlighted price exploitation, misleading information, substandard goods, and weak redress systems across essential service sectors.
“A mother buying food products should trust labels. A patient visiting a clinic should feel safe. A mobile money user should not beg for a reversal when systems fail. Rights must work in practice, not remain theoretical,” he said.
Mr. Adomako also emphasised the urgent need for a Competition Law to regulate market conduct. He noted rampant anti-competitive practices, including price fixing, output control, collusion, and abuse of dominance.
He warned that some trade associations have moved beyond advocacy into price coordination, harming both competition and consumers.
Currently, he noted, Ghana has no general law criminalising cartels, except in the petroleum sector, allowing anti-competitive conduct to persist unchecked.
Mr. Adomako argued that robust competition regulation is essential to protect innovation, fair pricing, and equal opportunities for businesses, including controlling mergers that could create dominant market players.
The remarks echoed the central message of the book, which highlights Ghana’s fragmented consumer protection framework.
CUTS International noted that existing laws are scattered across multiple agencies, such as GSA, FDA, NPA, BOG, PURC, and NCA, eaving enforcement weak and consumers confused about their rights.
The book provides detailed sector analyses, covering goods, food, pharmaceuticals, utilities, telecoms, finance, health, transport, and e-commerce, and presents real-life examples of consumer challenges in Ghana.
A Daily Guide Report