GSA confiscates substandard cables at Tema Port

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has confiscated six containers loaded with substandard cables at the Tema Port.

According to the Director of the Inspectorate Division of the authority, Mr Kwasi Owusu Boadu, the cables had been locked up at the port pending investigations, after which they would be destroyed or returned to the country of origin.

Speaking at the launch of Lapp Group Cable in Accra last Monday, he said the cables arrived in Ghana a few weeks ago and that “during our regular inspection, we realised that the products were all inferior”.

The Lapp Group is a Germany-based company that designs, manufactures and supplies industrial cables and accessories.

In Ghana, the group partners Automation Ghana Limited.

Public awareness

Mr Boadu stressed the need for the public to be alert when purchasing cables and urged them to inform the authorities about the presence of any such cables when they detected them on the market.

He said the GSA had intensified efforts to rid the market of inferior cables and warned that the authority would not spare importers of such products.

Mr Boadu advised importers of cables to seek guidelines from the authority regarding the right standard of cables before importing them.

A lot of cables imported into the country, he said, did not have the right insulation and, therefore, became dangerous when used for any purpose.

Cable theft

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, expressed concern about the high rate of cable theft in the industry.

He said averagely, 200 cables were cut in a month, with each costing GH¢17,000.

Mr Ashigbey applauded the entry of Lapp Group Cable and its partnership with Automation Ghana, adding that the two companies could play a major role in ensuring the production of quality cable products in the country.

Lapp Group

The Managing Director of Lapp Group Cable, Mr Jose Carvalho, said the company was currently supplying cables to more than 150 countries.

He said the company, founded in 1957, had been producing the right standard of cables that conformed to international standards.

In Ghana, Mr Carvalho said, the company’s products would be distributed solely by Automation Ghana, a technology firm in Accra.

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Automation Ghana, Mr Kweku Asmah, said the company offered complete automation products to homes and businesses, adding that “our products are of high standard”.