The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is awaiting financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to recruit an additional 500 market surveillance officers as part of efforts to strengthen consumer protection and clamp down on the influx of substandard goods.
The authority maintained that although it had made significant progress in the last three years by deploying about 540 Standards Inspection Officers (STIs) nationwide, the current manpower remains inadequate for the scale of work required at entry points, ports, regional markets, and industrial zones.
“We currently have about 540 officers. If we receive clearance from the Ministry of Finance, we can bring on board an additional 500. That number will be enough to make us truly visible across the country.
“Visibility alone acts as a deterrent. When traders and importers see inspectors on the ground, they are less likely to attempt bringing in substandard goods,” the Deputy Director-General in charge of General Services at the GSA, Samuel A. Jabanyite, said at the launch of the Annual Quality Summit and the 10th Anniversary celebration of QA Consult in Accra.
National quality culture
The Annual Quality Summit launch and QA Consult 10th Anniversary Celebration seeks to promote a national quality culture, highlight best practices, facilitate market access, and chart a roadmap for Ghana’s industrial transformation through innovation, sustainability, and trust.
On the theme, “Advancing Ghana’s industrial excellence through quality and trust,” the event created a platform that fosters dialogue, fresh perspectives, and innovative ideas while addressing pressing challenges in quality.
It brought together regulators, industry, academia, and development partners to shape a collective path towards performance, resilience, and competitiveness.
Intensified market checks
The Deputy Director-General stated that the GSA’s expanded surveillance work was anchored on the Ghana Standards Authority Act, amended as Act 1078, which empowers the authority to ensure the safety, quality, and accuracy of goods and services on the market.
Over the past three years, he said the authority has intensified market checks, confiscating and destroying products that fail to meet national standards.
He said the GSA has also enhanced its laboratory, metrology, and inspection systems to provide scientific backing for regulatory decisions.
Training for some of the new inspection officers, he added, was now supported by international partners due to increased global interest in Ghana’s quality-assurance reforms.
Decade of contribution
Mr Jabanyite praised QA Consult for a decade of contributing to Ghana’s quality infrastructure, especially in areas of ISO systems, food safety, and compliance.
He said the company’s work aligns perfectly with the GSA’s mission of promoting standards as a driver of industrial growth and competitiveness.
“Through digitisation of certification processes, modernisation of testing laboratories, and harmonisation of Ghanaian standards with regional and international benchmarks, the GSA is positioning the country to fully leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” he said.
Humble beginning
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QA Consult, Johnson Opoku-Boateng, stated that QA Consult had started with nothing but passion, determination, and a small home office — even to the point where his family had to sell their car to fund the company’s first projects.
He said the firm grew from those modest beginnings into a trusted partner in industrial quality transformation, working with both SMEs and multinational companies such as Unilever, Ghacem, and Chanrai.
He explained that despite Ghana’s progress in industrial development, persistent challenges — including weak enforcement, fragmented supply chains, and limited collaboration among regulators, industry players, and SMEs — continued to undermine competitiveness and erode confidence.
He said building a strong national quality culture had to be a shared responsibility, with government providing predictable policies and supportive infrastructure, while businesses embraced quality as a philosophy rather than a mere compliance requirement.
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