The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has hired 200 Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) trainees to help ensure that imported goods and those manufactured in the country meet acceptable standards.
Trading Standards Officers (TSOs) have been drafted in to conduct market surveillance and other activities in order to weed out fake brands and restore sanity to the country’s trading of goods.
Professor Alex Dodoo, Director-General of the GSA, told the Daily Graphic in an interview on March 21, 2022, that contract letters had been issued to the appointed officers to begin work.
He stated that the TSOs would conduct routine checks on local traders and businesses as well as investigate complaints.
“For example, they will take samples of goods for testing, check the accuracy of weighing scales and measures, such as those used for beer and spirits in pubs and clubs, and ensure that labeling is correct and advertising is not misleading,” he explained.
Aside from their efforts to rid the market of substandard goods, TSOs will also advise consumers and businesses on standards-related laws and regulations, as well as investigate suspected offenses through undercover or surveillance work and prepare evidence for prosecution.
According to Prof. Dodoo, the GSA established the TSOs unit to provide identifiable enforcement officers for the public, ensure fair trade, and protect consumers by ensuring product safety.
He stated that the TSOs’ appointment, which is on a contract basis, is also in line with the GSA’s enforcement drive.
In the past, a lax standards enforcement regime allowed for the dumping of substandard goods and services on the local market, putting consumers’ and property owners’ health and safety at risk.
In response, the GSA declared in 2021 that the Standards Act, 1973 (NRCD 173) would be strictly enforced in order to restore public order, create jobs, generate revenue for the state, and ensure societal discipline.
Prof. Dodoo, on the other hand, stated that the GSA’s enforcement drive has been slowed in the past due to a lack of identifiable enforcement officers.
Standards apply to a wide range of activities. There are standards that describe the best scientifically accepted methods of doing something in a particular jurisdiction. Manufacturing a product, managing a process, or providing a service are examples of these.
Under NRCD 173, the GSA in Ghana is mandated to conduct conformity assessment activities and grant permission for a conforming product to bear a mark of conformity known as the ‘Standard Mark’ as proof of evidence of compliance with a specification.
This means that manufacturers or importers of products intended for use in the country are required by law to have them examined and certified by the GSA to ensure that they meet the country’s standards, after which a certificate is issued.
There are regulatory agencies in the country that are also legally mandated to ensure that manufacturers and importers adhere to the standards developed by the GSA.
The Food and Drugs Authority, for example, and the National Petroleum Authority are legally responsible for regulating operations in their respective sectors, including the enforcement of approved standards.
