The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it will leverage the level three status it attained from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that at least 99 per cent of all regulated food supplements and drugs in the country meet acceptable standards.

The Level three status is the second highest in the four-tiered WHO classification, making Ghana one of only two countries in Africa and 52nd in the world to attain the high-profile rank.

Acting Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the FDA, Joseph Bennie spoke to JOY BUSINESS at the maiden edition of the Ghana Premier Business and Finance Excellence Awards where his outfit received a special gold award for its sterling performance.

According to him, sanctions are being meted out to deal with culprits who fail to take their goods through regulatory processes.

“Sanctions are being applied. We have, together with the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney General’s Department, been prosecuting people. Again, we have a system we call administrative charges. Where you fall foul of the law, you’re made to pay what we call administrative charges as part of the airlines fees."

“So, punishment is part of it, sanctions are applied and we’re getting people to comply,” Mr. Bennie said.

“The minimum amount is not too small so people would not want it applied to them twice. Going forward, we want to assure Ghanaians that there will be a time when you walk into any facility you’re most likely to find out that about 99 percent of the goods that are to be regulated have been really regulated and you can safely walk and ensure that whatever you purchase has been regulated,” he assured.

The Ghana Premier Business and Finance Excellence Awards sought to honour business and finance houses which have made outstanding contributions to the economic development of the country.

It was themed, "Promoting Ghana's Economic Development."