GSA urges investment in labs to boost exports

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has appealed for increased investment in laboratory infrastructure and testing equipment to strengthen the country’s export competitiveness and support the successful implementation of the government’s proposed 24-hour economy policy.

The acting Director-General of the GSA, Professor George Agyei, explained that the authority’s ability to certify products and ensure compliance with international standards was critical to expanding Ghana’s access to global markets.

He made the appeal recently when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism paid a working visit to the GSA headquarters in Accra as part of its oversight responsibilities.

Prof. Agyei said that while the government was seeking to boost production through the 24-hour economy initiative, the country risked incurring additional liabilities if products failed to meet required standards.

“The GSA is going to receive a lot of pressure because developing products, non-conforming products in a 24-hour economy means that we are generating more liability for the country”, he stated.

He explained that one of the major challenges facing Ghanaian products in international markets was non-compliance with standards and technical requirements.

The GSA boss stressed that the authority’s laboratories played a crucial role in testing products before export, particularly for contaminants, pesticide residues and other quality requirements demanded by foreign markets, adding, “if GSA cannot test, it means that we cannot export our products.”

Heavy metals

He cited growing concerns over heavy metal contamination linked to illegal mining activities and stressed the need to strengthen the authority’s testing capabilities to prevent Ghanaian exports from being rejected abroad.

The acting Director-General said some of the authority’s specialised equipment had been acquired through donor support, particularly from the German government, due to difficulties in securing funding for replacements and upgrades.

He mentioned that delays associated with the government’s commitment authorisation process and the capping of Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) continued to hamper the authority’s operations and infrastructure development.

“Last year, we lost a lot of opportunities because of the commitment authorisation system.

We followed through, but many of those opportunities did not materialise,” he said.

Prof. Agyei added that when the authority had unrestricted access to its internally generated funds in previous years, it was able to undertake major projects, including the construction of its eight-storey headquarters building.

Substandard mattresses

The meeting also pointed to the growing challenge of substandard mattresses on the market.

Officials of the GSA disclosed that some manufacturers were using unapproved polyethene packaging materials instead of the standard polyurethane foam in the production of mattresses and furniture.

They said that although the authority had engaged producers, shut down some factories and imposed sanctions, many operators continued production after breaking official seals.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism and Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Tongu, Alexander Roosevelt Hottordze, expressed concern about the health implications of the products, particularly in rural communities and urged the authority to intensify enforcement and to collaborate with security agencies to curb the practice.

Comprehensive statement 

He also instructed the GSA to prepare a comprehensive statement of its operations and challenges to be tabled before Parliament and assured the authority of the committee’s support in addressing its operational challenges.

Mr Hottordze said Parliament recognised the important role of the GSA in protecting consumers, facilitating trade and supporting industrial growth.

The Central Tongu MP said the committee also expressed concern about the authority’s staffing levels and resource constraints, describing it as severely understaffed despite its broad regulatory mandate.

Members ,therefore, pledged to advocate greater support for the authority, particularly in the areas of human resources, laboratory expansion and enforcement capacity.