'Conform to standards to safeguard health'
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has called on manufacturers to conform to standards to safeguard public health and the environment.
The Executive Director of GSA, Dr George Crentsil, who made the call, stressed that Ghana’s performance on the international market depended largely on its conformity to international applicable standards.
In an address read on his behalf at the World Standards Day ( WSD), celebrated on October 14 every year, Dr Crentsil said “the geographical regions of the world today are converging on one point; that is, a common point which ensures that goods and services used in any part of the world conform to applicable standards.”
For that reason, he said, countries, including Ghana, should not compromise on manufacturing, using, importing and exporting quality products of international standards.
World Standards Day
The day was celebrated internationally and locally on the theme: “Standards level the playing,” to reflect on and raise awareness of the benefits of standards.
It is also aimed at creating a platform to honour people who develop voluntary international standards for the advancement and welfare of societies.
Dr Crentsil said the world was undergoing profound transformations at all levels, and economies had become more interdependent, hence conformity to international standards had become crucial.
According to him, currently, products that were consumed in one market were no longer made in one country; they were made in the world, and before they got to the end-consumer, they had transited through many countries where value had been added to them.
He said conforming to standards would also offer small and medium-scale enterprises the platform to get their products certified to better compete on the international market.
The minister’s remarks
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ekow Spio- Gabrah, also in an address read on his behalf, tasked GSA to ensure that all goods imported to or exported from Ghana strictly conformed to applicable standards.
He gave an assurance that the ministry would support GSA to promote trade and industrial growth based on standards.
He called on GSA to raise more awareness of the benefits and the need to conform to applicable standards locally.
According to him, consumers are also expected to adhere to standards by avoiding sub-standard products.
He congratulated the authority on executing its mandate by putting in place intervention measures to ensure that Ghana conformed strictly to applicable standards.
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