The Chief Executive Office of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito has cautioned government appointees and individuals of being exposed if they continue to distract the work of institutions like the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).

According to him, the GSA should be left to function on its own without any political interference.

At a press conference on Tuesday, November 28, Mr Kapito said "Some individuals, government, people, politicians - this thing that we know as 'order from above'; this thing needs to stop. When an institution is doing its job, these hands must back off."

His comments follow the unofficial opening of three cement manufacturing companies that were shut down by the GSA following an audit.

The GSA said that the move was part of an effort to crack down on substandard cement production across the country. The crackdown is being spearheaded by the GSA under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. 

On the back of this, Mr Kapito explained that these institutions lacked independence which made it difficult for them to carry out their functions.

"We can give some of the powers of appointment, not to the president because the president has over 5,000 people to appoint and those the president appoints are all political people; his party people. I don't know which government, either NDC or NPP will appoint his or her opponent to be in charge of any institution. Some of these institutions should be independent," he said on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

Read also: 3 Cement factories shut down: GSA accuses them of using inferior materials

On November 13, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) shut down the operations of three cement manufacturing companies due to the use of inferior materials in their cement production.

The companies are Xin An Safe Cement Ghana Ltd, located at Ejisu, Kumasi Cement Ghana Ltd, located at Offinso, and Uniceme Cement Ghana Ltd, located at Bekwai, all in the Ashanti Region.

However, the companies have resumed normal operations without permission from the rightful authorities.