Ghana’s market is reportedly flooded with fake electrical cables that enter the country through various import sources. This follows the report of a last weekend’s survey conducted by the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA).
According to the GSA market survey report, about 70% of all imported electrical cables in the country severely fall below industry-acceptable product quality or safety requirement. Hence, putting the entire nation at the risk of fire outbreaks that accompany such sub-standard goods.
The report said 2 out of 22 electrical cable brands sampled for laboratory testing passed the critical safety requirement test for conductor resistance at the GSA Cable Laboratory in Accra and that, those two were locally manufactured electric cables while the other 20 were imported ones.
In an interaction with the media - Director General of the GSA, Prof. Alex Dodoo, noted that “19 out of the 20 imported brands of electrical cables failed the critical safety requirement for conductor resistance and this is dangerous because such cables can cause firesâ€.Â
The GSA boss explained that the product testing and market surveillance exercise formed part of the agency’s consumer protection and import inspection mandate under the Standards Act.
The survey report by the GSA brings ones more to the spotlight the critical need for support measures to boost a much higher level of local manufacturing of electrical cables as well as several other consumer products and make the country increasingly less dependent on foreign or imported sources.