The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to suspend the Ghana Standards Authority’s (GSA) new Ghana EasyPASS Programme with immediate effect.
The association warned that the mandatory pre-export conformity verification system would increase the cost of doing business and ultimately push up consumer prices.
Under the programme, selected imported goods must be inspected, tested, and certified in their country of origin before shipment to ensure compliance with national technical regulations.
However, FABAG insisted that Ghana already has adequate regulatory institutions responsible for quality assurance and import inspections, making the new policy redundant.
“Mr. President, stop the Ghana Standards Authority’s (GSA) Ghana Easy Pass Conformity Programme before it hurts businesses and consumers,” the association stated.
The group argued that introducing another layer of mandatory certification imposes additional financial and administrative burdens without delivering significant regulatory value.
Existing institutions, including the GSA, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), already perform compliance functions on imported products.
“This policy is simply adding another tax by another name,” the statement added.
FABAG said that rather than introducing a new certification regime, the government should strengthen the capacity of these existing state agencies to improve efficiency and enforcement.
The association cautioned that the proposed programme would compel importers to pay additional fees, absorb higher administrative costs, and contend with shipment delays.
According to FABAG, these overheads would inevitably be passed on to consumers through higher retail prices at a time when the public is already facing a high cost of living.
The petition noted that Ghanaian businesses are still struggling to recover from recent economic shocks, citing mounting pressures from rising utility tariffs, exchange rate volatility, high lending rates, and expensive transport costs.
Reintroducing a verification programme previously opposed by the business community sends an unfavourable signal to investors and contradicts state objectives to enhance the economic climate.
“Government cannot genuinely speak about improving the ease of doing business while simultaneously introducing measures that make doing business more expensive,” the association said.
FABAG is calling on the president to direct the GSA to suspend the programme and engage the private sector in broader stakeholder consultations before proceeding.
The statement concluded: “The time has come for government to listen to the voice of businesses. Ghana needs policies that encourage enterprise, not policies that punish it”.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
