Ghana will in the short term review the standards and requirements used for the importation of goods into the country.
This according to the Ghana Standards Authority is crucial to cut down on the number of goods imported into the country even as the country takes steps to scale up manufacturing and production.
Ghana’s imports for 2021 were estimated at over 22 billion dollars, a situation which has been affecting the strength of the local currency.
Speaking at the Standards Partnership Pilot Launch, President of the African Organization for Standardization, Professor Alex Dodoo said more will be done to improve the standards of locally produced goods
“The world needs world-class goods and services from Africa. Africa needs world-class goods and services from each other. To realise these, Ghana and Africa must have standards since standards are the language for trade, be they national or international. The Standards Partnership Programme affords us the opportunity to develop and deploy world class goods and services to a world that needs them in exchange for foreign exchange and other benefits that we also need. This is a “win-win-win” for Ghana, for the UK, for Africa and for the world” – Professor Alex Dodoo said.
Professor Alex Dodoo further noted that “To create jobs, Ghana and Africa need to add value to our natural and mineral resources using the human resources available to it backed with world-class technology. When that is done, we will be able to produce good quality goods and services that are already in demand globally and that meet international standards”.
“If these products do not meet world-class standards, they will not be able to be sold on international markets and Ghana and Africa will not get the foreign exchange we desperately need to grow our countries and our continent. In this regard, standards represent an extremely powerful and unavoidable means to transform lives and livelihoods for Ghana and Africa. To put it simply– No standards – No trade. And No trade – No economy. And no economy, no jobs”
