Alexander Roosevelt Hottordze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry, and Tourism, has called on the Government to resource the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to carry out its mandate effectively.

He expressed concerns about the Authority’s obstinate laboratory equipment and understaffed personnel hindering its smooth operations.

Mr Hottordze made the call on Tuesday when the Parliamentary Select Committee paid a courtesy call on the Authority to chart the path to improving on their work.

The Committee toured the Authority’s laboratory to have in-depth knowledge about their equipment, operations, challenges, and ways to address them.

“The Authority needs to multiply their human resources and change their old machines in the laboratories for them to operate efficiently,” he said.

“What we have seen is that our lives hinge on a lot of the activities of the Authority and as a country, we need to prioritize their needs.”

Mr Hottordze said stakeholders needed to coordinate to work assiduously to realise the vision of President John Mahama, urging them to explore more ways of generating revenue internally to improve on their mandate.

He expressed concerns over the influx of substandard products in the country, especially with the recent mattress items, charging the Authority to be proactive in addressing the situation.

The Authority recently locked down a company in Afienya for producing substandard products and refusing to adhere to safety measures.

Mr Hottordze advised the Authority to furnish the Committee with a comprehensive statement about their challenges for redress and called for collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces to enforce regulatory compliance on standards.

Mr Michael Okyere Baafi, the Ranking member, called for effective checking of fuel stations to ensure that customers got the real quantity of their products.

That, he stated, would help ensure transparency and value for money for consumers devoid of bad practices like cheating.

Some of the Committee members urged management of the GSA to get involved in the Big Push Agenda of the Government by testing the construction materials for their efficacy.

Professor George Agyei, the Director-General of GSA, said the Authority was well positioned to collaborate with government agencies to ensure safety and standards in all operations.

The Government’s 24-hour economy relied on standards to revolutionize the country into sustainable development, he said.

The Director-General appealed to the Committee to intervene with the delays with the Authority’s commitment authorization and a good amount of their IGF percentage to undertake infrastructural projects.

Mr George Kojo Anti, Director of International Affairs, GSA, assured the Committee of its preparedness to continue to enforce compliance on standards, calling on the public to support to actualize those actions.

He expressed optimism that the Committee’s presence would help to facilitate the processes to recruit more staff across the districts to ensure standards compliance.