The Ghana Standard Board (GSB) certified at least 562 locally manufactured products last year, Mr. Charles Amaoko, head of Marketing, GSB, has said.

He said while 158 applications were received for the certification of new products at various times throughout the year, products rejected for non-conformity between the periods of January to December 2002, were 84.

Aspects of quality, which the applications failed to comply with, were mainly packaging and labeling, Amoako told the Chronicle last Friday in response to a questionnaire filed by the paper on the quality of made-in-Ghana products.

Ghanaian products are expected to meet the relevant/cognizant GSB product standards, which are based on international standards. The requirements are basically for: functionality/performance, packaging and labeling.

Depending on the nature of product, and the intended application, the standard may also specify requirements for life and safety, reliability, durability and interchangeability as appropriate.

To this end the GSB put in place a product certification scheme to assess the quality of products manufactured locally and grant certificates to products that meet the relevant product standard.

But despite these quality requirements specification by the GSB for locally manufactured products, concerns are being raised by a section of the consuming public over whether the GSB is actually keeping market surveillance on these products.

They argued among other things, that the Ghanaian market is still flooded with some inferior products, especially foreign ones.

Asked when was the last time GSB carried out an exercise to remove products of inferior quality from the Ghanaian market, both local and foreign products, Mr. Amoako, said: "Normally our market surveillance activities have been follow-ups on products that we have certified to ensure that they consistently meet the requirements of applicable standards.

"With regards to imported products," Amoako went on, "it has been the desire of GSB that these products conform to the requirements of the applicable standards before they are allowed entry into the country.

There should be a law which require GSB certifications before goods are clear from the ports of entry."

"However," Amoako said, "last year the exercise was conducted three times in the month of August and September by combined team of GSB and

Food and Drugs Board officials..." Even though Amoako could not provide the full details on that operation it was said that the exercise did cover food, beverages and other assorted products.