GS1 Ghana, a not-for-profit standards organisation, has urged the government to pass legislation making the adoption and use of barcodes by Ghanaian businesses mandatory.  

This legislation has the potential to revolutionise trade and commerce, ensuring that all products from Ghana are uniquely identified, thereby enhancing the country’s reputation on the global market. 

This legislation is crucial to ensure that all products from Ghana are uniquely barcoded and identified, thereby enhancing our presence in the global market. 

Currently, the use of the barcode is voluntary, leading some businesses to generate fake ones on their products. These cannot be read by scanners, thereby damaging the country’s reputation. 

GS1 Ghana, a member organisation of GS1 Global, was established in 2006 by various institutions, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Standards Authority, Export Promotion Authority, and Association of Ghana Industries. 

It aims, among other things, to create a foundation for business by uniquely identifying, capturing and sharing information about products. This initiative empowers businesses to grow through improved efficiency, safety, security, and sustainability, fostering a sense of potential and growth.  

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the CEO of GS1 Ghana, Mr Kofi Nagetey, emphasised the necessity of legislation to ensure all Ghanaian businesses adhere to the GSI standards.  

He stressed that this legislation is beneficial and necessary for businesses to reap the significant benefits that enterprises worldwide enjoy from membership and the use of the global standards developed by GS1 Global. 

He said having a barcode on products facilitated trade and improved market access for exports, and it was important that the government stepped in with legislation to enable the informal sector, especially, to improve their market access in the export market.  

The 13-number barcodes offer rich product data and information from the various brands, which could easily be accessed with a simple smartphone scan, and help in retail inventory management, visibility, and traceability.  

This system promises a brighter future for Ghanaian businesses and the economy.  

It could also help consumers to understand product composition, sustainability efforts, and recalls, empowering them with information about the products they purchase. 

This system also allows retailers to control their inventory management and be able to tell which products were in high demand and to keep the shelves stocked with the products for customers. 

Millions of companies, including big multinational chains, supermarkets, world-famous brands and individual craftsmen, use the GS1 standards. 

The CEO said businesses would need a barcode to trade more efficiently and have products produced locally on the global market shelves. 

It also facilitates end-to-end supply chain traceability with details embedded in the barcodes and helps with cost management regarding inventory management. 

Barcodes allow manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, logistical providers, warehouse operators, and retailers to compete effectively in the global marketplace. 

The Board Chairman of GS1 Ghana, Mr Kofi Manso Essuman, said the organisation had positively impacted many companies by facilitating retail acceptance of products both locally and for export. 

It has also organised training and awareness programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) while providing global location numbers to many companies. 

“We have also been helping supermarkets to improve efficiency, accurate pricing, inventory control & customer satisfaction while supporting traceability processes for cocoa-buying companies,” he added. 

GS1 has local Member Organisations in 145 countries, more than 2 million user companies, and 10 billion transactions every day. This helps ensure that GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes across the globe.