The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) on Tuesday engaged members of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA), students of Dabokpa Technical Institute (DABOTECH), security personnel, and other stakeholders in Tamale to sensitise them on product certification and measures to curb the trade in substandard electrical cables in the country.

The engagement formed part of the GSA’s Ghana Digital Conformity Programme, which seeks to ensure that only quality and safe products are circulated in markets across the length and breadth of the country.

It also formed part of the authority’s public education drive aimed at promoting awareness of national regulations and standards among manufacturers, importers, and traders in all regions.

Addressing participants, a Senior Scientific Officer of the GSA, Mr. Francis Akpaloo, said the programme was designed to promote competitiveness in the market by ensuring that product data was transparent, thereby reducing unjustified price variations among similar products.

He explained that the initiative would also empower consumers to independently verify the quality of products on the market before purchase.

“As you all know, the Ghana Standards Authority has the mandate to protect the nation’s quality infrastructure. We do this by conducting various tests on products to assess their quality levels,” he said.

Mr. Akpaloo noted that the project also sought to enable consumers to verify claims of certification by the GSA and to ensure the traceability of certified products wherever they were sold.

He explained that a buyer who purchased electrical cables in Accra and transported them to another region should be able to trace the origin of the product, adding that this would make it easier to address complaints and replace defective items when necessary.

He further stated that the authority was mandated under the Standards Authority Act, 1973, to undertake conformity assessment activities nationwide.

The Northern Regional Manager of the GSA, Mr. Basin Alhassan, said the authority’s core objective was to protect consumers, facilitate trade, and promote industrialisation through standardisation, metrology, and conformity assessment.

According to him, product certification provided confidence to consumers, regulators, industry players, and other stakeholders that certified products met specified requirements and were safe for use.

Mr. Alhassan explained that certified products carried marks with reference numbers or the names of relevant product standards, indicating compliance with approved specifications.

He added that certification assured consumers that products and services were manufactured in line with national regulations.

Mr. Mahama Mariwan of Mardi Electricals expressed appreciation to the GSA for the sensitisation programme, saying it had enhanced participants’ understanding of the Ghana Digital Conformity Programme.