The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has charged a newly constituted Board of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to clamp-down on the flooding of sub-standard products on the market.

Addressing the 12-member board chaired by Hudu Mogtari, the minister urged the Board to improve monitoring and ensure that sub-standard goods such as fake cement does not make its way onto the construction scene.

Her call follows a pledge to sanitize the market when she addressed Parliament on Tuesday, July 8 2025.

“Standards are so important. Recently, we've heard in the new substandard product, it is the mandate of the Ghana Standard Authority to ensure that customers and consumers are protected by ensuring that all production houses conform to standards,”

“The President was careful when he was elected members of the Ghana Standards Authority Board because of the immense contribution the standard authority brings to the table at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry,” She added.

She further urged the board to harmonize standards to ensure the country's active participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

“We also want you to work very hard in the area of Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), because it's our best bet. We need to do a lot of standards harmonization, because once we harmonize our standards with other countries, it makes the trading with those countries, very easily under the AfCFTA.” So, your tax is enormous, she emphasized.

In his response, Board Chair, Hudu Mogtari accepted the challenge, he was optimistic of improving the standards across the economy.

“We will work together to enhance the work of the GSA, we believe that the job of protecting the safety of consumers and industry contributes to the development of the country.”

The Board of the GSA is made up of Hudu Mogtari (Chair), West African Regional Director for CUTS International, Appiah Kusi Adomako, President of the Association of Ghana Industries, Dr. Humphrey Ayim-Darke and Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, CEO of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The rest are Michael Abgeko Seneyah, Roderick Daddey-Agyei, Dr. Dramani Bukari, Samuel Akrofi, Acting CEO of Ghana Shippers Authority, Prof. Ransford Gyampoh, Prof. Charles Torto, Jane Tachie-Menson, and Rodaline Zumale Adama.