GSA Declares War on Substandard Electrical Products

as Fire Outbreaks Mount

TNR Files

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has launched a sweeping crackdown on substandard electrical products, citing a direct link between inferior cables and wires and the rising spate of fire outbreaks threatening lives and property across the country.

The initiative, announced at a sensitisation workshop for the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GIDA) in Accra, signals a shift towards aggressive enforcement in a sector long plagued by regulatory gaps and widespread non-compliance.

Dr Awal Mohammed, Deputy Director-General of GSA in charge of Operations, revealed that internal reports directly attribute many recent fire incidents to the use of non-compliant electrical materials in homes and commercial buildings.

“The objective is not to punish businesses but to protect the Ghanaian public,” Dr Mohammed said, in what was clearly both a warning and a reassurance.

The workshop revealed a significant information deficit among dealers, according to Greater Accra Regional Manager Clement Kwolaga Kubati, who noted that many traders were simply unaware of the requirement to secure GSA standards prior to importation.

This suggests that years of regulation have failed to penetrate the supply chain. Whether the GSA’s new strategy can succeed where previous efforts have fallen short remains an open question.

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The Enforcement Strategy: Border to Market

The GSA’s approach operates on two fronts:

At the borders, the Authority relies on internationally recognised Certificates of Conformity to verify product quality before entry. This system, however, has historically been undermined by porous borders and inconsistent enforcement.

On the domestic market, the Authority plans intensified inspections to identify and remove non-compliant products. Any goods discovered during these checks will be seized, and offenders will face sanctions.

But enforcement gaps remain. Products that bypass port inspections continue to flood the market, and the GSA’s capacity to conduct widespread surveillance is limited.

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The Economic Dimension

The crackdown carries significant economic implications for traders. Dr Mohammed urged dealers to obtain Ghana’s approved product specifications from the GSA and communicate these to foreign manufacturers before placing orders.

Any electrical cables or wires that fail to meet these specifications will be barred from the local market. For importers accustomed to sourcing cheaper, lower-quality goods, this represents a substantial cost increase.

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Industry Cooperation or Resistance?

Mr Kubati appealed to traders to identify suppliers of seized products, helping the GSA trace the sources of hazardous materials. But such cooperation cannot be assumed. In a sector where profit margins often depend on cutting corners, the relationship between regulators and dealers has historically been adversarial.

The GSA’s commitment to working “hand-in-hand” with dealers, manufacturers, Customs and other regulatory bodies sounds promising. But the test will come when the first major seizures are made and the first sanctions imposed.

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A Life-and-Death Issue

The stakes could hardly be higher. With fire outbreaks on the rise — many of them attributed to defective electrical materials — the GSA is effectively engaged in a life-and-death battle.

But whether the Authority has the resources, political backing and industry cooperation to win that battle remains to be seen. For now, the war has been declared. The battlefield is every port, every market and every home in Ghana.

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The Deeper Question

The GSA’s crackdown raises a broader question: why have substandard products continued to flood the Ghanaian market for so long despite existing regulations?

The answer lies, at least in part, in a combination of weak enforcement, inadequate testing facilities, and the willingness of some traders to prioritise profit over safety. The GSA’s new strategy attempts to address all three — but history suggests that without sustained political will and industry buy-in, the challenge will remain.

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What Lies Ahead

The next few months will determine whether this marks a genuine turning point or just another cycle of announcements followed by limited action.

The GSA says it has the will. The question is whether it has the weapons.