GFL joins CDA Consult’s “verify before you buy” consumer empowerment advocacy

The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) on Wednesday threw its weight behind the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) nationwide “Verify Before You Buy” consumer empowerment campaign.

Mr Abraham Koomson, GFL Secretary General, called it a timely intervention to empower and protect consumers and workers from the economic and health risks of counterfeit, expired, and mislabelled goods.

The GFL Secretary General indicated that the federation’s support stems from the direct impact substandard and fake products have on workers’ safety, livelihoods, and purchasing power.

“Workers are also consumers. When factories are undercut by fake goods and workers are forced to buy expired products because of rising costs, it hits the same people we represent,” Mr Koomson stated during a meeting with CDA Consult leadership in Tema.

“GFL believes the ‘Verify Before You Buy’ approach empowers Ghanaians with practical tools at the point of sale, instead of waiting for harm to happen and chasing remedies afterwards,” he stated.

Mr Koomson added that labour unions will help spread the verification message through workplaces, trade associations, and community networks, aligning with GFL’s broader advocacy for better service conditions and economic accountability.

For Mr Koomson and the GFL, the collaboration reflects a wider push to compel government and industry to create a more congenial business environment where industries thrive, jobs are retained, and workers are protected from exploitative practices.

“Consumer empowerment is not separate from workers’ rights. When people know how to verify what they buy, they protect their health, their income, and the integrity of the market. That’s progress we can all support,” Mr Koomson asserted.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of CDA Consult, specified that the endorsement by one of the frontline labour unions positions Ghana’s labour movements as a key partner in shifting consumer behaviour from passive purchasing to active verification at the point of sale.

He said CDA Consult launched the campaign last month with strategic activities outlined to address persistent problems in Ghana’s goods market: counterfeit products, expired goods, mislabelled items, and outright fraud.

He said the initiative is built on four pillars: education, awareness, action, and protection, and seeks to distribute responsibility for verification across consumers, retailers, regulators, and law enforcement.

The CDA Consult Executive Director who unveiled the framework during a strategic partner engagement, stressed that “just a simple verification could save your life.”

He urged Ghanaians to check batch numbers, expiry dates, packaging seals, and supplier legitimacy before paying. The campaign also encourages the use of mobile devices for basic authenticity checks.

Mr Ameyibor argues that traditional consumer protection has focused too heavily on post-harm remedies, placing responsibility on manufacturers and sellers who often self-regulate inadequately.

“The Verify Before You Buy model moves intervention earlier by making pre-purchase checking a social norm and called on manufacturers, dealers, regulators, law enforcement bodies, retailers, corporate bodies, and labour unions as well as state and non-state actors to join the advocacy,” Mr Ameyibor stressed.

He noted that Ghana’s existing legal framework is scattered across multiple agencies, leaving enforcement weak and consumers uncertain about their rights, adding that the campaign aims to fill that gap through behavioural change while partners push for stronger regulatory coordination.

CDA Consult has a track record in anti-counterfeit advocacy, having run nationwide education on electrical products since 2017 in partnership with the Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Police Service, and Ghana National Fire Service.

“CDA Consult is actively seeking partnerships with stakeholders to scale the Verify Before You Buy consumer empowerment and protection advocacy. With GFL’s backing, the campaign gains access to one of Ghana’s largest worker networks, potentially accelerating adoption in both formal and informal markets,” Mr Ameyibor noted.

Mr Ameyibor also indicated that as part of the campaign, CDA Consult last month called on two key regulators to discuss their involvement in the campaign and stressed that their strategic plan for partnership is in progress.

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