GSB warns importers of substandard goods

Ghana Standards Boards (GSB) has declared its intention to crackdown substandard electrical cables that have entered the country’s local market through unapproved routes.

This will involve conducting a thoroughly search for seizure and destroying as well as closing down of shops dealing in the importation of such products.

Official database from GSB has established that most of the substandard electrical cables enter the country through the entry points, at its eastern frontier especially from Nigeria.

This is possible due to the rather porous nature of these entry points and resultant difficulty in tracking and inspecting these products.

Meanwhile a special task force made up of Ghana Standards Board and National Security in collaboration with Ministry of Trade and Industry have been formed with the mandate to deny entry into the country any substandard electrical cables, while those already in the country would be thoroughly searched for, seized and destroyed.

Electrical cables are high-risk goods and the substandard ones finding their way into local markets pose a very serious health and safety problems to the consuming public. The cause of some fire outbreaks in the country has been attributed to these substandard electrical cables used in wiring the premises.

The country lately encountered a number of major fire outbreaks, destroying properties, national assets and documents. The most hit ones are the recent fire outbreak that devastated the Ridge residence of the former President Jerry John Rawlings and consumed personal effects of the former first couple. The cause of the fire, has since believed to be an electrical cable fault.

Also was that of the foreign ministry’s fire that swept through a nine-storey building and destroyed several historical documents. Most of the documents, including those dating back to Ghana's independence from Britain in 1957, were burnt in the inferno.

Acting Executive Director of GSB, Dr. George Ben Crentsil, said this at a forum on electrical cables and accessories in Accra, aimed at clamping down importers of substandard electrical cables and accessories into the country’s local market.

Dr. Crentsil making a presentation on the topic: ‘The Importation of Substandard Electrical Cables and its Challenges’ mentioned that one major problem confronting the nation is the presence of substandard electrical cables that pose a danger to lives and property in the country.

“It is a problem that must be seriously dealt with to ensure the safety of people in the country.”

Mr. Kofi Nagetey, Acting Director, Inspectorate Division of the GSB indicated that the Board is committed to ensuring that every effort is made to address the challenges brought in by high risk goods, that is, products that have serious health and safety implications on the consuming public.

“The problems associated with these cables are high conduct resistance, bad and inadequate installation, shorter length and improper, labeling and marking,” he said.

Mrs. Kate Quartey-Papafio, CEO of Reroy Cables Limited observed that substandard electrical and accessories like switches, stabilizers brought into the country and improper installation of electrical appliances have largely contributed to the fire outbreaks in the country.

“Substandard cables are very dangerous because the high conductor resistances normally associated with substandard cable leads of cable overheating, with time causes a cable to lose its insulating properties thereby leading to circuit malfunction and possible electrocution.

“The fight against substandard electrical cables and accessories is a collective responsibility and not only one institution. Unless all of us intensify our efforts in our respective ways there is no way we can achieve success in this battle, Mrs. Quartey-Papafio remarked.