The President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Andrew Ackah has called on lawmakers to fast-track the passage of the Advertising Council Bill meant to regulate the ad industry.

Speaking on Joy News' PM Express on Monday, he stated that although many advertisers adhere to the right standards others do not understand them or the need for them.

“They don't understand the principle that guides what to market, what content to put out there, how to put it out there. So, it becomes problematic because the state has a responsibility of protecting consumers and protecting the state. And information is very critical so knowing what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and who to say it to is very, very important," he said.

As such, Mr Ackah believes that their call for standards in the industry will ensure that every product has gone through the needed checks, consumers are protected and also serve the interest of the advertiser.

“There are interested stakeholders who want to end their keep, whichever way you want to look at that. Advertisers want to put their products out there to make sure that you buy them so they can make money. The consumer also wants to hear that information so they can make a choice between product A or product B. With the right information, they can make that choice, right?”

“You need to have it regulated to ensure that there's a fair deal, that the consumer is getting the right information, the product has the right ingredients and right claims so that the consumer can now make a good choice,” he explained.

Mr Ackah said that the regulator can ensure that both consumers and advertisers actually can co-habit in that ecosystem and make sure that there's an exchange of value.

Also on the show, the Chief Executive of the Advertising Standard Authority, Guy Parker added that passing the bill is absolutely crucial to make sure the rules that apply to advertising are right and they protect people, particularly the vulnerable.

“I think that certainly in lots of cases around the world when you have an effective ad regulatory system, it very often involves law, particularly underpinning law that the government has set.”

“But the secret source of the system is actually the buy-in and the support, and sometimes some funding from the industry that knows that if the standards of advertising are higher, not only will people be better protected, but every dollar that they spend on advertising will work better, because people will be more likely to trust the messages that they're seeing and hearing in the ads.”

About the Advertising Council Bill

The Advertising Council Bill establishes the Advertising Council to regulate the practice of advertising, register practitioners and license advertising companies. 

The Council is to prescribe and approve courses of study for the advertising profession and to ensure that advertising is legal, honest and fruitful and that advertising protects the best interest of the consumer.

The Bill further defines what activities constitute advertising and sets out a Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics which all practitioners are required to observe in the conduct of their business.