The Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) says it would be solely responsible for the issuance of the new certificate of Conformity (CoC) to be introduced on the 1st of October 2014.
A CoC is the document issued as evidence of compliance of shipment to the relevant internationally approved standards. The Certificate of Conformity is aimed at preventing the importation of unsafe, sub-standard or counterfeit goods; protecting the health and safety of consumers as well as the environment; and avoiding a situation where the domestic market becomes a dumping ground for non-conforming products.
Importers and suppliers from the commencement date are to acquire the CoC before their products are accepted into the country.
GSA says the exercise is being carried out in line with WTO provisions which says in Article five (5) that countries come out with procedures for Assessment of Conformity for recognition by other countries just as Ghana also is required under Article six (6) to recognize Conformity Assessment by other Central Government Bodies.
Meanwhile Local importers have appealed to the GSA, to postpone the implementation of the issuance of CoC which is considered by its members as a duplication of Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) procedure of inspection of goods. The importers claimed they paid as much as 20,000 US dollars to enable FDA officials to travel to the exporting countries to ensure safety and standards of goods imported to Ghana.
The Authority however says exporters and importers were responsible for ensuring that their products and shipments fully complied with the newly introduced GSA Verification of Conformity Standards Programme to be known as Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme and must obtain the mandatory Certificate of Conformity (COC).
Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Standard Authority Kofi Amponsah Bediako says the GSA’s CoC replaces any other arrangements with regards to standards to prevent the importation of unsafe, sub-standard and / or counterfeit goods.
“Under the new programme it is Ghana Standard Authority that would ensure that appropriate Certificate of Conformities are brought in to make it easy not just for the GSA but for all regulators including the FDA to ensure that products that are coming in meet the required standards.”
He says it would rather make it easier for all stakeholders in the country, with the CoC coming from particular sources but not just anywhere, they would be sure of the correctness of these products that are brought into this country as far as meeting the standards are concerned. He there indicated that the new CoC programme from the GSA replace all other ones being runned by other government agencies.
“With the programme in place by the GSA, we are coming to replace any other arrangements that has previously existed until this time”
