Enact consumer protection law now – Consumer Protection Agency demands

The Chief Executive Officer of Consumer Protection Agency and consumer advocate, Kofi Kapito has called on government to treat the long awaited Consumer Protection Law with some amount of urgency.

Mr. Kapito in a press briefing to celebrate World consumer day in Accra today, March 15th called on the Nana Addo led government to stay true to their promises and enact the law.

According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had in their party’s manifesto that they will ensure the passage of the consumer protection law if power is given to them.

“The NPP in their campaign manifesto has the word ‘consumer’ mentioned 7 times, in chapter 2 Section 12 page 31 of their manifesto they pledged to see to the enactment of the consumer protection law and so all we are asking is for them to walk the talk,” he said

He said the Consumer Protection Law as a policy paper has been lying with the Ministry of trade for over two decades

“It is disheartening the trotro pace at which the government is handling the process of enactment” adding that the seemingly lack of interest from government can be said to be the cause of the strong pace.

According to him, the absence of consumer protection law makes it difficult for consumers to demand for their right and protect themselves and that has made Ghana the dumping yard for inferior goods

“Because the country lacks the enabling laws for consumer protection, Ghana has literally become the junkyard for inferior goods from Asia” he added

Mr. Kapito was of the view that with the advent of the law notices such as “Goods sold here are not returnable” will be a thing of the past and that will put manufacturers and merchants not to sell inferior goods.

“For a manufacturer or merchant to say goods sold here are not returnable, it means the goods are inferior and not fit for purpose,” he said.

According to him, as Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark the World Consumer Rights Day, the Ghanaian consumer is asking government to treat the Consumer Protection Law with priority and get is passed

“Give us a timeline towards the passage of the law,” he said.

The celebration was themed ‘making digital marketplaces fairer’.