Stop, verify before you make final payment for goods – Dr Kpodar

Board Member of CDA Consult, Dr Chris Kpodar

The Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) has urged consumers to make product verification a routine practice before completing purchases to protect themselves against counterfeit, substandard and unapproved goods.

Board Member of CDA Consult, Dr Chris Kpodar, said Ghanaians must adopt a new consumer habit of checking the authenticity and quality of products before making payments.

“Verification must no longer be an afterthought but the first line of defence before money changes hands. Stop, verify before you make payment.

“Ask, check and confirm before you make payment. An informed consumer is an empowered consumer, and verification remains the most effective first line of defence against counterfeit, substandard and unapproved goods flooding the market,” he stated.

Dr Kpodar, who is also the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Solomon Investment Ghana Limited and an Artificial Intelligence expert, made the call while speaking on CDA Consult's flagship campaign, The Trust Economy: Verify Before You Buy.

He warned that consumers were losing millions of cedis to counterfeit products, deceptive advertisements, fraudulent digital loan schemes and services whose authenticity had not been established.

According to him, the sale and use of expired or substandard products could have serious consequences for consumers, households, businesses and the wider economy.

He explained that expired medicines could fail to treat illnesses, worsen existing conditions, contribute to drug resistance or cause poisoning. Contaminated and expired food could also lead to food poisoning, diarrhoea, liver and kidney damage, as well as long-term health complications.

Dr Kpodar further cautioned that fake cosmetics and skincare products could cause burns, rashes, skin damage and cancers, while counterfeit electrical appliances could result in fires, electric shocks and fatalities.

“A cheap product that damages your health is the most expensive product you will ever buy.”

He said consumers who purchased counterfeit goods often suffered financial losses because such products came without reliable warranties, refunds or replacement guarantees.

The situation, he noted, placed additional pressure on households, particularly low-income families, who were sometimes forced to spend money twice to replace fake products with genuine ones.

Beyond the direct losses suffered by consumers, Dr Kpodar said counterfeiting was also damaging Ghana's economy by diverting millions of cedis from legitimate businesses into the hands of illegal operators.

He argued that the proliferation of fake goods undermined innovation, discouraged investment and made it difficult for compliant manufacturers to compete with operators who avoided taxes, regulatory standards and accountability.

He added that the practice weakened consumer confidence, affected the reputation of genuine businesses and threatened employment as legitimate manufacturers struggled to maintain their market share.

Executive Director of CDA Consult, Mr Francis Ameyibor, said counterfeiting flourished where consumers relied on trust without having access to reliable proof of a product's authenticity.

He explained that the Verify Before You Buy campaign was designed to bridge that gap by encouraging consumers to establish the credibility of products before purchasing them.

Mr Ameyibor said consumer protection should not be left to regulatory agencies alone, stressing the need for manufacturers, traders, businesses and the public to work together to promote transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain.

He said the initiative would complement the work of regulatory institutions, including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The campaign is anchored on 4 key pillars: Education, Awareness, Action and Protection. Its objective is to make pre-purchase verification a normal consumer practice while ensuring that breaches attract swift and credible consequences.

Mr Ameyibor also cautioned consumers against tampered packaging and advised them to rely on verification codes only when they were printed on original product seals rather than loose stickers.

He described The Trust Economy: Verify Before You Buy as an evidence-based and action-oriented initiative that would go beyond public education to include sustained consumer engagement, market activities, media empowerment, stakeholder consultations and institutional partnerships.

The first phase of the campaign is expected to run for 2 years, covering all 16 regional capitals and 60 selected district capitals.

Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, has been selected to host the maiden regional engagement.

Activities planned for the launch include stakeholder workshops, engagements with traders and consumers at markets and shopping malls, distribution of car stickers and other promotional materials, as well as extensive media outreach.

Mr Ameyibor called on manufacturers, dealers, traders' associations, market queens, procurement officers, regulators, development partners, the media and the general public to support the initiative.

“Supporting the CDA CONSULT Verify Before You Buy campaign is both ethical and good business. The future of Ghanaian manufacturing depends on trust. If consumers trust what they buy, they buy more. If investors trust our regulatory environment, they invest more,” he stated.

He urged consumers to stop assuming that products were genuine simply because they were available for sale, insisting that checking their authenticity should become an essential part of every purchasing decision.