The Act will create a unified legal basis for safeguarding consumer rights across all sectors of the economy.

Mr Appiah Kusi Adomako, the West Africa Regional Director, CUTS International, said this in a recommendation on a study report dubbed: “The State of the Ghanaian Consumer.”

The report was conducted by CUTS International Accra, in collaboration with the National Communications Authority.
He called for the establishment of an independent, national consumer protection authority to oversee the implementation of consumer protection policies and promote consumer education.

Mr Adomako called for the introduction of a consumer empowerment fund financed through industry levies or the Government budget to support research by civil society organisations.

Madam Patricia Boateng Bannor, Director of Standards, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness, said the Government was committed to ensuring that the Consumer Protection Law is passed.
She said the report by CUTS International gave a fresh impetus for the government to move forward with the agenda of enacting the law.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of consumer rights and protection across the country.

The sectors are telecommunication, road safety, e-commerce, banking and financial services, water, electricity, waste management and aviation.

The objective of the study, among others, is to evaluate the level of consumer awareness regarding their rights and responsibilities across the eight sectors.
It used qualitative and quantitative components and data analysis methods with a sample of 1,795 consumers across the 10 regions.

In the telecommunications sector, the report revealed that 60.89 per cent of consumers experienced bad reception, 52.22 per cent experienced low Internet, and 37 per cent experienced low quality.

On road safety, the report showed that over- speeding constituted 76.35 per cent of consumers concerns, 74.66 per cent complained of bad roads, while 53.72 per cent of them complained of faulty vehicles.

With e-commerce, the report revealed that over 70 per cent of consumers are not aware of the consumer rights and protection laws, calling for authorities to take action.

On the satisfaction with banking services, the respondents revealed that 61.2 per cent rate the sector as average, while 52.2 per cent said they are satisfied.