Stop inferior goods from entering Ghana - IOPG

The Institute of Packaging Ghana (IOPG) has called on trade related regulatory bodies to invoke procedural and regulatory instruments to prevent the wanton flooding of the local market with inferior goods.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the institute, Mr Asare Ampene, told the Daily Graphic that the association had cause to believe there was dumping in the country, which must be checked with all measures at the disposal of the country.

He said the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and PSIs and bodies such as the Ghana Standards Board, the Food and Drugs Board and the Environmental Protection Agency must invoke regulations that prevented dumping.

"There must be strict enforcement of every international procedural requirement to ensure that Ghana does not become the recipient of some countries' spill over production," Mr Ampene, who is also the Marketing Manager of Graphic Packaging Limited (G-Pack), said.

He was commenting on an upcoming 2007 World Star Awards, which has been won by two Ghanaian packaging companies, Polykraft and Paper Containers Ltd, as well as the 2008 World Packaging Organisation (WPO) Board meeting to be held in Accra.

The Accra meeting will also include the African Packaging Summit, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the WPO and would bring together members from over 30 countries.

Mr Ampene, also said consumers should also support the efforts of the regulatory bodies by being vigilant and checking for consumer information and report any anomaly to the Standards Board.

The GSB has basic labelling requirements such as information about the product being written in the English Language.

The PRO of IOPG advised consumers who found such anomalies to report them to the GSB for a thorough audit by the standards body to ensure the health and safety of the public.

Since the inauguration of the institute in November 2003, it has made significant contributions towards the development of the packaging, manufacturing and export sectors of the country.

"The IOPG has through the provision of technical assistance, world class professional training, publications, exhibitions and the requisite linkages, enabled manufacturers, especially, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to source quality and cost effective packaging to make their products competitive on the local and international markets," Mr Ampene stated.

Also as part of its contributions to promote non-traditional exports, particularly fresh and processed food products, the IOPG with the support of Proinvest, is sending 15 packaging converters to establishments in Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom in January next year to learn about new trends in packaging.

The PRO said the institute would continue to build the technical capacity of converters and forge closer links with other international packaging bodies.

Source: Daily Graphic