The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), has challenged the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association of Ghana (GEDA), to consider moving away from the importation of electrical wares to manufacturing their goods locally.
Currently, the about 500 members of GEDA are primarily into importation and trading of electrical cables and other electrical materials, while only 3 firms, Nexans, Reroy and Tropical cables, are engaged in producing standard products locally.
Commenting on the readiness of Ghanaian firms ahead of the commencement of trading under the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement from July 1, 2020, the Head of Business Development at the GSA, George Anti, said his outfit is ready to partner local firms to manufacture standard electrical products.
“We have been telling them this over the past year or so; I mean we do know that those who start importing some of them eventually want to move to local manufacturing. It is in the interest of the country if that happens, and we have every interest as GSA to support them. If a few of them could even come together and start manufacturing locally, it is in Ghana’s interest.”
“We can export with the advent of the AFCFTA , we can export to external markets within the ECOWAS sub-region, within the African continent, and even outside of Africa provided we are meeting the appropriate standards; that’s where the conversation always comes. It’s an issue of trade, trade is an impersonal business; it doesn’t matter who you are; it is what you have, so we have been urging them on since.”
GSA asks for help to trace importers and producers of substandard electrical products
The Ghana Standards Authority has in recent times charged retailers of electrical products to provide relevant information about importers and manufacturers of substandard products, to help rid the system of harmful electrical goods.
During the last mass testing of electrical cables, involving over 200 different samples, the GSA found that over 90% were unsafe for use. In an attempt to further rid the system of sub-standard cables and electrical products, the Authority on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020, engaged the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA) to sensitize them on certification and labeling issues.
While admitting that the retailers and those who import on a smaller scale may be innocent when it comes to the proliferation of substandard products, the Head of Business Development at the GSA, George Anti, says a collective effort is required by all stakeholders to apprehend those behind the importation and manufacturing of low-quality electrical products.