Blame inferior Chinese goods on importers – Expert

A Ghanaian-based Chinese Language and Product Expert, Mr. Kofi Boateng, has challenged Ghanaians to direct their anger and frustrations towards businessmen who import Chinese products into the country, rather than blaming Chinese firms.

Mr. Kofi Boateng says it is unfair on the part of some Ghanaians to generally condemn Chinese products as inferior, without taking into consideration the processes under which such products got into the country.

According to him, these so-called inferior products get into the country by choice and not as a matter of necessity, stressing that it is Ghanaian importers who deliberately order such products into the local market.

Contributing to discussions on the recent Parliamentary chairs saga, in an interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Boateng, who was once a Government Appointee in the rich Asian country, noted that it is sad many Ghanaians have labeled all Chinese products as lacking quality, when in actual fact it is never so.

He said though he was not privy to information concerning the processes involved in the manufacturing and importation of the chairs to the country, he can say on authority that the Chinese manufacturing firm could not have made a shoddy product for a respectable institution like Parliament.

“I can’t say much because I don’t have the details but what I can say is that Chinese manufacturers are world class and know quality; I am sure there are lots of information that we don’t know, so for now, I will say let Parliament investigate it and come out with the facts,” Mr. Boateng pointed out.

According to him, Chinese products are based on the dictates of the market, explaining that the manufacturers design the products based on specifications presented to them by importers of respective countries. He noted that there are lots of Chinese products that are competing favourably in Europe and in other parts of the world.

“We need to stop lambasting the Chinese and their products; here is the case where we import everything, including basic things like toothpick, mosquito coil, matches and other products that we can easily produce in this country from China, how then can we match them in quality,” he queried.

Mr. Boateng, however, stressed that there is the need for institutions like the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and other relevant agencies to intensify their regulatory mechanisms and insist on the importation of quality products into the country.

He cautioned that Ghanaians must be ready to pay more for quality, as it may come with additional cost.

“If we want quality, then we must be ready to spend more; you know importers are businessmen and they know the purchasing power of their markets hence their decision to import products that they believe Ghanaians can afford, so somehow I don’t blame them,” he noted.