GSA steps up fight against substandard electrical products
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has announced plans to deepen collaboration with key stakeholders to rid the market of substandard electrical products, as part of efforts to curb the rising incidence of fire outbreaks across the country.
The initiative will involve closer engagement with regulatory institutions, law enforcement agencies, importers, manufacturers and dealers to ensure that only certified and quality electrical products are sold to consumers.
The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the GSA, Mr Clement Kubati, disclosed this at a sensitisation programme organised for members of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association in Accra yesterday.
The programme aimed to educate dealers on the need to comply with national standards, identify certified electrical products and appreciate their role in protecting consumers from the dangers posed by counterfeit and substandard materials.
Mr Kubati said the growing circulation of inferior electrical products remained a major public safety concern, noting that many fire outbreaks and electrical accidents could be traced to poor-quality cables, switches, sockets and other accessories.
He said the authority would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to intensify market surveillance, enforce standards and increase public awareness to ensure that only products that met approved specifications were available on the market.
According to him, compliance with standards was a shared responsibility involving regulators, importers, distributors, dealers and consumers.
Mr Kubati urged members of the association to stock and sell only certified electrical products and desist from dealing in inferior goods that put lives and property at risk.
He emphasised that public education remained one of the most effective tools in tackling the growing challenge of substandard products and encouraged consumers to verify the authenticity of products before purchase.
The Chairman of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association, Mr Kwabena Koranteng Asiamah, commended the GSA for organising the programme, describing it as timely and necessary.
He said the initiative would deepen dealers’ understanding of standards requirements and strengthen professionalism within the electrical trade.
Mr Asiamah called for stronger collaboration between the GSA and the association through regular engagements, joint inspections and continuous education to improve compliance and eliminate substandard electrical products from the market.
He said dealers had a collective responsibility to protect consumers by ensuring that only genuine and certified electrical products reached the market.
Mr Asiamah added that sustained cooperation between regulators and industry players would promote fair trade, reduce fire outbreaks, safeguard lives and property, and boost public confidence in electrical products.
The sensitisation programme forms part of the GSA’s ongoing efforts to promote quality assurance, consumer protection and standards compliance, while supporting national measures to reduce preventable fires linked to defective electrical products.
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
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