Standardising our markets: Let’s rally behind presidential directive

Back in 2010, the then Minister of Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwoi, addressed the age-old conundrum of getting standardised scales to function in Ghanaian markets and charged the leadership of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) to lead a crusade for a solution.  

He observed that a kilo measured the same all over the world, including the West African sub-region, except in Ghana, where markets were awash with measuring devices calibrated by the seller's eye.  

It has been over a decade since that charge, but the situation has not changed in any way; it has only worsened.  

All around us in West Africa, a kilo is a kilo. In Ghana, a kilo is an olonka, or anything that goes by that name, and when you look into the olonka, you may find an empty cement bag stuffed under the container.

The container may also be tampered with to the seller's advantage. In such a case, what you are buying is not by any standard measure.  

It is only when you get home that you realise the maize, gari or rice you bought is about half the quantity you were supposed to receive.  

The implications of this measurement dishonesty are far-reaching.

First, it creates an unfair trading environment where dishonest sellers gain at the expense of both consumers and honest traders.

Second, it erodes trust in our markets, making buyers increasingly wary and hesitant.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, it undermines our economic competitiveness.  

Such practices cannot take us to the global competitive market because, in that market, measurements are standard.

Therefore, we need to address the issue of weights and measures seriously if we want to be players in the global space. 

Fortunately, under the current administration, there are indications of renewed vigour to finally solve this perennial problem, with a presidential directive to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to lead the charge in ensuring that weights and measures become the springboard for fair trade in our markets.

The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, last week in Koforidua, rightly framed this as a national priority, emphasising that the President's directive on standardised measurements is crucial for economic justice and the success of the 24-Hour Economy agenda.

This is not the first time the country has tried to enforce standard measurements, but with the presidential directive under the current dispensation, there is an indication of a stronger push for real change.  

The training of 350 new Trading Standards Inspectors (TSIs) at the Ghana Police Training School in Koforidua, who would be deployed to markets and manufacturing companies across the country to enforce trading standards upon completion of their training, is clear evidence of a country that is bent on doing things right.

The inspectors would be conducting checks to ensure compliance during the day and at night. Their presence should serve as a deterrent to malpractice and an assurance to honest traders and consumers that fairness would prevail.

The Daily Graphic supports this renewed effort. For too long, our markets have been undisciplined places where the dishonest take advantage of honest and hardworking people.

Surely, without strong quality assurance systems, our vision for an industrialised economy will fail.

This time round, we cannot afford to let this initiative fade like others before it.

The new inspectors must be firm, fair and fearless in enforcing the rules, as it is their work that will determine whether we will have a real change now.  

The inspectors must bear in mind that they have an important mandate and a greater responsibility to ensure that a kilo of gari sold in Nima Market is the same as a kilo of gari sold in Tamale.

Let’s make this enforcement successful.