Counterfeit Electrical Products expose users to great danger, and are rapidly creating a huge and growing problem for the country, Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) has revealed in Accra on Tuesday.
“The proliferation of counterfeit electrical goods and products in the country is assuming quite an alarming proportion. The electrical counterfeit market is spreading and developing at the blind side of law enforcement agencies and regulators. We need urgent steps and measures to sanitise our market, Mr Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of CDA Consult stated in an interview.
Mr Ameyibor explained that the manufacturing of counterfeit electrical products have adopted modern technology to mold the product very close to the semblance of the original…“create impression of originality, which makes it almost impossible for the ordinary person to distinguish counterfeit products from the original ones”.
He said currently in Ghana, counterfeit electrical products had assumed popularity because the profits were out-sized, and it is also difficult to pinpoint where bad products were originally made, and who was responsible for importing them.
He said in view of these developments, CDA Consult in collaboration with other stakeholders, were embarking on a national crusade dubbed: “Avoid Patronage of Counterfeit Electrical Products,” the first in the series is slated for the December.
Under the initiative, stakeholders would be assisted to identify counterfeit electrical products on the market, expose the dangers associated with patronage of counterfeit electrical products and create a platform for security operatives to enforce laws against the sale of counterfeit products in the country.
Mr Ameyibor noted that generally, counterfeiters avoid having their products tested and verified by an approved third-party testing lab designated as a nationally recognised testing laboratory and sometimes produce fake approved logos, giving it the “Authorization”.
He noted that counterfeit electrical products present serious health and safety risks to consumers and to the electrical industry and there was therefore the need for all hands to be on deck to deal with the growing threat in the country.
“These products can overheat or cause short circuits, leading to fires, shocks or explosions that can kill people and produce considerable property damage.
“Manufacturers, distributors, and installers of electrical products also face legal risks for trading in counterfeit products even if they are victims of counterfeiters,” he said.
Mr Ameyibor said the CDA Consult would collaborate with public institutions, including; the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Standards Authority, Electrical Contractors, Electrical Manufacturers, Electrical Shop Owners, end users, contractors, security agencies, and the media in the crusade against the proliferation of counterfeit electrical products in the country.
The CDA Consult Executive Director said the crusade would also focus on equipping public officials with basic information to recognise electrical counterfeit items at first sight.
It also seeks to ensure that officials take stiffer actions against dealers in counterfeit electrical products, and also to equip electricians and retailers to be able to distinguish between fake electrical products from genuine ones.
Mr Ameyibor, noted that the usage of counterfeit electrical products had a huge negative economic impact on the country as it impedes development, creates huge financial lost to investors and the State as well as loss of life.
He said: “CDA Consult is creating the platform and would build the necessary forces against the proliferation of counterfeit electrical products. We are focusing on raising awareness among the public regarding counterfeiting”.
He said the national crusade against the proliferation and use of counterfeit electrical products also aim at discouraging the patronage of counterfeit electrical products and to direct taste towards genuine electrical products.
Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) provides tailor made development communication tools necessary for operational transformation and translating dreams into achievable goals and equips clients with mechanism for public education on specific issues.
It also provides effective back-up or frontline monitoring and evaluation tools to ensure value for money delivery of projects, whilst providing clients with skills to deliver timely and accurate information on their activities, work, programmes and projects.
CDA Consult also aims at building a responsive working culture for corporate growth through a social process at institutional levels based on dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods.
It also assists client to use continuous and adaptive process of gathering, organising and formulating information and data into argument and to communicate to policy-makers through various interpersonal and mass media communication channels.
Source: CDA Consult