The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has appealed to government to make available adequate resources to enable it execute its mandate of inspecting and confiscating sub-standard electrical cables, gadgets, and accessories.
According to the Authority, adequate resources would among other things, help prevent inferior electrical cables and other substandard gadgets from entering the country.
A report prepared by the Parliamentary Committee on Trade Industry and Tourism on the Challenges of imported sub-standard electrical cables, gadgets and accessories said between 2003 and 2015, GSA was the recipient of 15 percent of the one percent Destination Inspection Levy charged on all imports.
This translated into about US$700,000 per month for the GSA to carry out its mandate. These funds have since dried up, and the Authority is now restricted to receiving GH¢500,000 which is 1.5 percent in line with the Earmarked Funds and Capping Realignment Act, 2017 (Act 947).
But the Parliamentary Committee ruled that since the revision of the GSA’s allocation under the destination inspection levy, the Authority has struggled to conduct frequent and effective market surveillance as well as test products prior to export among others.
“The Committee recommends that, as a matter of urgency, the Ministry of Finance restores the 15 percent share of the 1 percent Destination Inspection Levy to the GSA without being capped to enhance their operations,” the Parliamentary Committee stated.