Accra, June 8, GNA - There are dangerous sub-standard electrical cables on sale on the Ghanaian market, Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, Head of Public Relations at the Ghana Standard Board, warned at a press conference held in Accra on Monday.
Mr Amponsah-Bediako said the GSB had not yet tracked down the cables, which were smuggled into the country through unapproved routes and did not go through the normal routine checks at the entry points. He said the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA) drew the attention of GSB to the existence of the cables on the market and when tests were conducted on them they were found to be of sub-standard quality. Mr Amponsah-Bediako said electrical cables were classified as high risk goods and the importation of sub-standard ones could have disastrous consequences on users and the nation.
He commended GEDA for its vigilance that enabled it to detect the sub-standard cables and for drawing the attention of the GSB to the danger, saying: "Though high risk goods are screened at the ports, some are still smuggled into the country through unapproved routes." Chief Standard's Officer at GSB, Mr Emmanuel Kwa-kofi said tests conducted on the cables revealed that 1.5 sq. mm conductor cables, which should have a maximum resistance of 12.1 ohms had 133 ohms; while that of 2.5 sq. mm. conductor cables that should have a maximum resistance of 7.41 ohms had 74 ohms resistance.
He warned that if such sub-standard cables were used they could not withstand the heat generated by electricity and could lead to fire outbreaks. Mr Joseph Obeng, President of GEDA, said the Association was alerted of a truck-load of the sub-standard cables being offloaded in Accra but before they could cause the arrest of the owners of the goods they had gone underground.
He said the Association was a major stakeholder in high risk goods, and would cooperate with the relevant bodies such as the GSB to rid the market of sub-standard goods and to prevent Ghana from becoming a dumping ground for shoddy goods. Mr Ntim Donkor, Acting Director of Trade Facilitation, Ministry of Trade and Industry, appealed to the public to help to address the problem of sub-standard goods on the Ghanaian market in the interest of all. 8 June 10
