Energy Commission engages stakeholders on new wiring regulations in Kumasi

As part of efforts to ensure a smooth implementation of the new electrical wiring regulations, the Energy Commission has engaged stakeholders in the Ashanti Region for the needed sensitisation and education.

The Parliament of Ghana in 2023 passed the Electrical Wiring Cables and Electrical Wiring Accessories Regulations 2023 (L.I 2478), as a measure to stem the importation and manufacturing of inferior and substandard electrical wiring materials.

This new regulation also seeks to ensure that only electrical wiring cables and accessories meeting the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) requirements are available on the market, and by extension reduce fire and electrocution risks posed by substandard products.

The full implementation and registration of the Legislative Instrument (LI) will begin in January 2025.

Mr Stephen Yomoh, the Assistant Manager, Energy Commission, in a media interview on the sidelines of the stakeholder engagement in Kumasi, indicated that even though certified practitioners had been mandated by the law to use only materials approved by the GSA, there were still some substandard and inferior cables and accessories on the markets.

It was therefore important to sensitise and conduct baseline study procurement before the full implementation of the law next year.

He said the regulation underscored the Energy Commission’s commitment to enhance safety standards and ensure only quality electrical products were available in Ghana.

Mr Yomoh cautioned manufacturers and importers to abide by the law, adding that there were fines and sanctions for defaulters.

Defaulters, he said, could pay fines from 125 to 500 penalty units or imprisonment from six to 24 months.

Importers of substandard products would bear the cost of re-exporting such products to their country of origin, he added.

He explained that facility owners who were not diligent enough to ensure that cables and accessories were up to standard, risked being disconnected to protect lives and properties.

Mr Yomoh entreated importers and manufacturers to register with the Energy Commission and obtain a Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to certify that their products met GSA standards.

Stakeholders who attended the meeting included cable manufacturers, importers, facility owners, electrical wiring professionals, representatives from the Ghana Institution of Engineering, security agencies, Ghana Standards Authority, and the Energy Commission.