Some dealers of second-hand fridges across the country have expressed fear that they will be unemployed if the ban on the commodity is not lifted.

The government has banned the importation of second-hand refrigerators in Ghana to reduce energy consumption and harm to the environment.

However, some Ghanaian traders have criticised the ban, saying thousands of jobs will be lost, and therefore, urged government to adopt a gradual approach to enforce the ban.

Some of the traders who poured out their frustrations on Citi Fm in Accra revealed that their business capital could not afford importation of brand new refrigerators into the country.

“I can’t buy a container of brad new fridges, so we are pleading to the government to do something about it for us because some of us are going to be unemployed and we can’t take care of our children,” said an aggrieved dealer.

The ban on the importation of used refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners which contains CFC gases harmful to the ozone-layer took effect from January 1, 2013.

This followed the coming into force of Legislative Instrument (LI) 1932 (2008) which bans the importation of those used items.

Following the passage of the law, a grace period of two years was put in place to allow importers and dealers to re-adjust their business operations.