Trade Ministry launches infrastructure initiatives to improve quality transformation

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has launched the Quality Infrastructure Initiatives that will have a significant impact on the industrial transformation agenda of Ghana.

The three documents of the Initiatives are the Ghana National Quality Policy, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) Act (2022), and the Ghana Standards Authority five-year Strategic Plan Document.

Kobina Tahir Hammond, the Minister of Trade and Industry, said these documents, together with the recently passed Ghana National Accreditation Service Act and the soon-to-be established Ghana National Quality Committee, would drive Ghana’s quest to be recognised as a world- class industrial hub and the home of quality goods and services in Africa.

Mr Hammond was speaking at the launch of the Quality Infrastructure Initiatives in Ghana, under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP).

He said these quality infrastructure initiatives to succeed in the country’s endeavours of development and growth, however, the country needs a robust quality infrastructure to ensure consistent production and supply of quality goods and services.

He said this was because all goods and services, including hospitality services, in Ghana must meet the highest international standards for the country to obtain premium rates for these goods and services.

“Our factories should produce goods that will be known for quality, durability, and fitness for purpose. Our hotels and restaurants should offer world- class services and our IT firms must come up with software solutions that are interoperable globally and that make life easy,” he added.

He said the country’s mines and extractive industries must apply international standards in health, safety, and the environment. Occupational Health and Safety as well as Environmental Standards must be binding on all extractive industries.

Mr Hammond said by the powers given to the Minister for Trade and Industry under the GSA Act to declare mandatory standards, “I am determined to make it mandatory for every company in the extractive industries to be certified to ISO standards in environmental protection and occupational health and safety.”

This will be the most transparent and sustainable way of demonstrating that firms in the mining industry and the oil and gas sectors are abiding by the highest international standards for protecting health, safety, and the environment.

Ghana’s industrial transformation agenda needed a Quality Infrastructure that is robust and consistent with international best practice.

“This is what the Ministry of Trade and Industry has developed according to international best practice,” he added.

Mr Hammond said it was also important to acknowledge that the establishment of these building blocks of Ghana’s industrial transformation agenda could not have been possible without the support of Ghana’s development partners.

The Minister said the World Bank Group deserved special mention for working with the Ministries of Finance and Trade & Industry to make this happen through the Ghana Economic Transformation Project.

Professor Alex Dodoo, Director-General of GSA, said it was aimed to promote private investments and firm growth in non-resource-based sectors and initiatives were going to shape the future of the country in the coming years.

He said a quality infrastructure System was a combination of initiatives, institutions, organisations, activities, and people and it included a National Quality Policy and institutions to implement it, a regulatory framework, quality service providers, enterprises, customers, and consumers.

He said the Policy was aimed at ensuring that goods traded in the country were designed, manufactured, and supplied to respond to the needs, expectations, and requirements of consumers, the Act establishes the GSA as the Authority responsible for the creation and promulgation of standards and its enforcement in the country.

The Strategic Plan, on the other hand, aims at consolidating gains made in the past to building an advanced QI institution that is competitive, protects consumers and supports the country’s industrialisation drive.

He said the coming into force of the Policy and the GSA Strategic Plan were to ensure the protection of society and lives.

“Without adhering to international standards, Ghana may not be able to enjoy the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as products from the country will continue to suffer rejection due to non-conformity with standards,” he added.

Prof Dodoo said the initiatives in Ghana were instrumental in fostering economic growth, ensuring consumer protection, and contributing to a sustainable future.

These initiatives will help the GSA to promote Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Metrology for the improvement of the quality of goods, services and sound management practices in industries and public institutions in Ghana.