Media must support the fight against substandard electrical products — GSA

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has called on the media to support the authority and the Communication for Development and Development Consult (CDA Consult) campaign against the proliferation of substandard electrical and electronic products.

Mr. Francis Mensah Akpaloo, GSA Scientific Officer, and Technical Supervisor, Electronics/Electrical and Communications Engineer who made the call noted that fake or substandard products affect all and “we need a concerted effort to deal with it”.

He, therefore, cautioned the public against the purchase and use of substandard electrical appliances and products on the market, warning that substandard electrical cables can lead to fire outbreaks.

Mr. Akpaloo stated at a Stakeholder Engagement and Workers Appreciation Day, seminar organized by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office which is a platform rolled out for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

Speaking on the topic: “Exposure of electrical appliances and gadgets to direct sunshine and elements of the weather: its impact,” Mr. Akpaloo explained that apart from enforcement of the laws; the media highlighting on the electrical and electronic sector would help reduces the proliferation of fake products into the country.

He said as the counterfeiters’ perfect ways of beating the regulatory agencies, so are the agencies perfecting ways of stopping them in their tracks, therefore, “we need the support of all, that’s why GSA consider CDA Consult’s collaboration as critical towards distilling our society of counterfeit products”.

Mr. Akpaloo also revealed that another means to deal with substandard goods is to equip GSA with modern technology to undertake its mandate efficiently.

He said resources were key for the GSA to achieve its mandate of establishing and promulgating standards to ensure the high quality of goods produced in Ghana, whether for local consumption or export.

The GSA is also mandated to provide quality assurance through inspection, testing, and metrology, among others.

He acknowledged that even though the Authority is currently equipped, technology keeps changing, and “we need to be ahead in the industry”.

The GSA Engineer noted that to augment its equipment for testing, in November 2021, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Millennium Development Agency (MiDA) donated a world-class air conditioning testing laboratory for the Authority.

He added that in 2014, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) also donated to the GSA laboratory that tests fridges and freezers.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency, Tema Regional Manager commended GSA for intensification of their market surveillance to ensure that products on the market are wholesome and meet quality standards.

He said it is also important for consumers to properly examine products, to be sure of their quality and the expiry date before buying.

Mr. Ameyibor noted that measures to intensify the National Campaign against patronage of Counterfeit Electrical Products and Electrical Appliances must involve all stakeholders and commended the CDA Consult and GSA for the effort.

He explained that the upscale National Anti-Counterfeit Campaign seeks to inculcate industry professionals as well as consumers to protect themselves from counterfeit electrical products.

Mr. Ameyibor noted that it is only through targeted and concerted efforts, involving media, manufacturers, governments, and organizations that would prevent the counterfeiters market from thriving.

He said counterfeiters rely on deception and pegging prices below market levels to attract consumers and so they can penetrate “our homes, businesses environment, and commercial and industrial facilities”.

“The more sophisticated counterfeiters become, the more difficult it is to identify counterfeit products, so the best way to avoid counterfeit electrical products is to purchase products from the manufacturer’s authorized distributors or retailers,” Mr. Ameyibor advised.