Omanghana
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has carried out a major enforcement operation at the Ashaiman branch of China Mall, confiscating a large quantity of illegally imported alcoholic beverages and several other substandard products deemed unsafe for consumers.
The operation, led by the Greater Accra Regional Manager of the GSA, Clement Kwolaga Kubati, followed investigations that uncovered multiple violations of Ghana’s consumer protection and product safety regulations. Authorities subsequently shut down several warehouse sections within the retail facility as part of the crackdown.
Among the items confiscated were large stocks of an alcoholic beverage branded “Buds Light.” According to enforcement officers, the products lacked country-of-origin labels and had not gone through the mandatory regulatory registration processes required for sale in Ghana.
Officials described the beverages as illegally imported and warned that products without proper traceability and certification pose serious risks to public health and consumer safety.
The GSA also seized several electrical products after laboratory testing revealed severe quality failures.
One lighting product branded “Luminous Flat 580” was found to be significantly below Ghana’s approved standards. Although marketed as producing 580 lumens, tests reportedly showed the bulb generated only 51 lumens — far below the legal minimum requirement of 360 lumens.
Authorities warned that such defective electrical products could expose households to serious fire hazards and other safety risks.
In addition to the electrical goods, enforcement officers confiscated a large number of mattresses linked to unapproved suppliers, including Bright Homes, Amorevita, and Moonda.
The GSA stated that the mattresses were manufactured using non-compliant and inferior materials that failed to meet approved standards for consumer use.
The Ghana Standards Authority explained that the raid forms part of a wider nationwide market surveillance exercise aimed at protecting consumers from counterfeit, unsafe, and unregulated products.
Speaking after the operation, Clement Kwolaga Kubati rejected suggestions that the enforcement exercise was targeting Chinese-owned businesses.
“Nobody should mistake what we are doing to be anti-Chinese or anti-business. We promote fair trade. Where we find that you are trying to undermine competition and undermine fair trade, GSA has a right to come in… You can run, but you can’t hide,” he stated.
Management of the Ashaiman China Mall branch is expected to face substantial administrative penalties under the GSA Act 1078 for the alleged regulatory breaches.
Meanwhile, the GSA has urged consumers to remain vigilant when purchasing goods by carefully checking product labels, certification details, and manufacturing information. The authority also encouraged the public to report suspicious or unapproved products to regulators for investigation.
Source: Omanghana
