To Protect The Health And Safety Of Consumers In Ghana The Importation And Distribution Of Counterfeit And Substandard Goods Must Be Halted By Officialdom

After quite a battle, some of those who have succeeded in turning Ghana into a lucrative dumping-ground for substandard and counterfeit goods, were clobbered and finally defeated - when it was announced recently that only European standards for fuel would be accepted for importation into the Ghanaian market. Marvellous.

The question is: Are consumers in Ghana not as deserving as those in the U.S., the UK, and the EU, of living in a country in which as a result of effective monitoring of imports by  the authorities, they are  not exposed to counterfeit and substandard imported goods?  

Clearly, one of the most effective means of dealing with those engaged in the importation and distribution of  substandard and counterfeit goods in Ghana, is to specify, whenever possible, in practical terms,  EU and U.S. standards for all goods destined for the Ghanaian market.

The more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media ought to be vigilant in that regard. They must  shine their  collective spotlight on the work of the public officials at all Ghana's ports of entry. We cannot allow our country to continue to be a lucrative dumping-ground for  countertfeit and substandard  products. Full stop.

As Christmas approaches, criminal syndicates will ship container load upon container load  of substandard and counterfeit goods that will be prevented by vigilant port officials from entering the U.S., the UK, and EU - because they do not meet the very high standards specified for those markets.

Doubtless, some of those rejected containers will find their way to ports in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa - but they must not be allowed to be cleared and distributed across Ghana, under any circumstances.

The time has now come for Ghanaian port officials to be more professional and patriotic in the very important work they do at our nation's ports of entry.

Officialdom must wake up. To protect the health and safety of consumers in Ghana, port officials - particularly the Customs, Excise and Preventitive Service of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) -  must bring the unlawful activities of the crooked entrepreneurs engaged in the importation and distribution of substandard and counterfeit goods across our country to a halt. Haaba.