Shop Owners With Sub-Standard Goods To Be Arrested

The Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) says, it would from October this year mount market surveillance to close down and arrest shop owners selling sub-standard goods and products to the public. The GSA explains that the move is part of Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme (GCAP) which will be rolled out effective October 1, 2014. According to the GSA, the GCAP would ensure that Ghana joins the league of countries operating Product Conformity Assessment programme which implies that all consignments arriving at Ghana�s port of entry not accompanied by Certificate of Conformity (CoC) will be denied entry into the country. He said non -certified products in the Ghanaian market would be declared illegal and fake. This was made known by Dr. George Crentsil, Executive Director, Ghana Standard Authority during a workshop held for importers and exporters in the Eastern region as part of public awareness creation by the GCAP. He said the programme requires that importers inform their suppliers to issue CoC from a certified laboratory through the Ghana Standards Authority to guarantee customs� clearance. In addition, importers who would dodge the system to import products without CoC would be charged a penalty of 30 per cent of the CIF value of the consignment and the product will be re-shipped to the original destination at a cost to the importer. He stated that, Ghana is gradually becoming a dumping place for fake and sub-standard goods and products sometimes without English label which is against both international and the laws of Ghana. Director of Inspection Directorate of GSA, Eugene Adarkwa Addae called on the importers to abide by the importation procedures specified in the program to avoid penalty. Some of the importers described the program as laudable; they however, warned consumers to tighten their belt for rise in prices of goods since some products with very high quality are expensive. They also appealed to GSA to collaborate with security at the country�s territorial borders since most of the sub-standard goods sneak through that medium into the country for the program to be successful.