Micro small to medium enterprises ability to transition to big businesses will require meeting acceptable and international standards in order to stay in competition, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has said.

In view of this, the authority is urging local manufacturers of cosmetic as well as household chemical substances to register with the authority especially with the onset of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) –which is headquartered in Ghana.

The Head of Cosmetics at the authority, Emmanuel Nkrumah, says he is expecting between 30 to 45percent of small businesses mainly local manufacturers to come on board to register with their products with the authority.

According to Mr.Nkrumah household chemical substances including pesticides, antiseptics, and detergents all remain regulated products by the FDA which has to be approved by the authority before they are put on the Ghanaian market.

“What we have realized is that a couple of local manufacturers produce the products and put them on the market which is against the public health act [Act 851) and is not permitted.

Once it is an FDA regulated product it has to be registered before it comes on the market” he told Business24 in an interview.

The government has set out a plan to promote local businesses in line with the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ campaign and with the expected implementation of AfCFTA, the FDA aims to support these businesses to scale up their products and reduce the importation of products.

“AfCFTA is going to open up Ghana, a lot of products are going to come into the country; so what are we also sending out –if we don’t strategically position ourselves well, we will be overwhelmed by foreign products; so what will become of local companies, he asked”

This he said is also intended to help prevent substandard or counterfeit products on the markets and to regulate the sector for the consuming public.

The FDA has outlined a number of measures to address the various industry growth-enabling provisions available to small and medium scale enterprises in Ghana.

Without compromising on public safety, the FDA has instituted a number of activities aimed at easing this problem for regulated small businesses.

The FDA identifies business within the framework of small and medium scale enterprises and aims to facilitate both their access to the market and growth.

Food and Drug Authority is mandated by the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) to regulate food, drugs, food supplements, herbal and homeopathic medicines, veterinary medicines, cosmetics, medical devices, household chemical substances, tobacco and tobacco products as well as clinical trials.