The Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA) has strongly refuted the report by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) that 96 % of electrical products sold on the market are substandard.
This follows an exercise by the GSA which showed that only 7 out of the 204 electrical items they tested on the market were of standard.
According to the GSA, it inspected and tested electrical items such as wire cables, switches, bulbs and extension boards in August this year and the failure rate amounted to 96%.
Reacting to this however, PRO of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association, Samuel Asare Addo, said the findings are untrue and an indictment not only to the industry but also to the GSA as well.
“According to Ghana Standards Authority 96% of the items we sell in the electrical industry is fake and we refute that particular research that has been done. Our reason is that we opened our doors for the GSA to come into our market and do their scientific research, when it was done, they didn’t get to us as executives with their results, so we do not know where they got their results from”, he lamented.
He added, “If you look at the analysis how can 96% of the whole industry be fake, it doesn’t make sense”.
“Also Ghana Standards Authority is the only body who will make scientific tests on particular products and then okay them before they are allowed onto the market”.
Director General of the GSA, Prof. Alex Dodoo however admitted that the GSA could have done more to prevent the influx of substandard products onto the market and says dealers found selling substandard products will be dealt with.
“We cannot point fingers at anyone, it is our job, it is our responsibility and that is why we are also heightening our market surveillance activities so if there are substandard products on the market it is our fault, its either we did not see it or it came in unapproved”.
“We are determined to make the market clean, we are preparing letters so that those who have to be fined will be fined, and those products that have to be relabeled will have that done and the rest will be removed and destroyed”.
“We will also not spare those found selling substandard products”
Meanwhile some local manufactures of electrical products are calling for a complete ban on the importation of electrical products that can be manufactured locally as they can meet demand.
Speaking to Citi Business News on the matter, PRO for Reroy Cables, Anthony Mensah said local companies can meet demand for the production of cables.
“We have assured them we have enough capacity to produce and meet local demand so we do not see why there is still importation of these goods”.
–
By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana