Ghana is one of the countries in Africa where huge volumes of counterfeit electrical products are transited, a survey report compiled by Schneider Electric has revealed.

According to the March 2015 report, “In Africa, main target countries to re-export counterfeit electrical goods are to be found in the vicinity.”

“Countries like Ivory Coast or Uganda also became targets of their neighbors in turn. Ghana and Tanzania, in the English speaking group, Guinea, Republic of the Congo and DRC, in the French speaking group, were said to be the most important for the volume of counterfeit goods transiting through their territory.”

The report also identified Ghana’s Sunyani Central Market in the Brong Ahafo region of the West African country as one of the prominent places where counterfeit electrical products are not only traded, but also manufactured and re-assembled.

The report which surveyed eleven African countries – francophone and Anglophone – said about 64 per cent of the counterfeit electrical products originate from Asia - (34%) from China alone, with the remaining 31% coming from other parts of Asia.

The purpose of the survey was to identify the most counterfeited electrical products and brands in Africa, as well as, their main roads of entry and distribution.

It also investigated the consequences for people’s safety and health, as well as the impact of the situation on African economies.

The survey took place from December 2013 to March 2014 in the following countries: Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. “More than 500 high level officials and professionals were contacted by 37 African investigators, specifically hired and trained for the survey. They answered a total of 8.185 questions that were processed to obtain statistical data in order to create a corpus of information – quantitative and qualitative – on electrical counterfeiting. It is the first survey of its kind on such a large scale in Africa.

It found that the ten most counterfeited electrical products in Africa include (in that order): cables, breakers, sockets, switches, extension cords, lamps, bulbs, electrical wires, fuses, and contactors.

It also said brands like: Legrand, Hager, General Electric, Schneider Electric and ABB (in that order) are the brands which are mostly counterfeited in Africa among seventeen widely known brands.

“Furthermore, the electrical items considered as being the most counterfeit in Africa belong to: ABB, Hager, Legrand, Siemens, and Schneider Electric or to more specific brand like Ingelec (in that order).”