Ghana Standards Authority says implementation of the continental free trade area should not compromise standards

The Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alex Dodoo said his outfit has put measures in place to ensure that Ghana’s standards for imported goods are maintained or improved.

“Ghana is part of internationally recognized bodies that have prescribed standards for all goods. We have standards also as a country. We are going to maintain the standards that have been approved by parliament.”

Prof. Dodoo explained that even though the objective of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area is to enhance intra-African trade, countries involved have been entreated to insist on the right standards to protect lives and properties.

He said that when the country compromises on standards for electrical cables, medicine, and other important goods could lead to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement is aimed at improving Intra- African trade to among other things, create a single market, deepen the economic integration of the continent, establish a liberalized market through multiple rounds of negotiations and aid the movement of capital and people, facilitating investment.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement if implemented will be the largest in the world in terms of the number of participating countries since the formation of the World Trade Organization.