The use of “Olunca”, bucket and cups among other traditional measuring instruments for goods and services in the country undermined the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s effort at meeting its obligations on international trade.

Mr. Foli Kumah, Western Regional Director of the Ministry who expressed the worry, said unlike Ghana, other countries in West Africa and beyond used certified calibrated measuring scale in trade thereby promoting uniformity in quantity, as well as ensuring fairness in business transactions.

He said this at a public lecture organized by the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) in collaboration with the Ministry, for goods and service providers within the Western and Central Regions.

Mr. Kumah hinted that the use of these traditional methods of measuring goods and services had served as a technical barrier to trade among the country’s West African neighbours, who are now in tune with scientific measuring scales and added that “it is high time Ghana switched on to the system”.

Mr. Paul Michael Date, Head of Scientific Metrology of the GSA, advocated the need to calibrate all measuring equipment and added that a measuring instrument that has not been calibrated was not worth using.

He called for proper training of users of these equipment to avoid under or over reading with its resultant consequence.

Mr. Date noted that particularly in the health centres, accurate diagnosis depended on correct measurement, skills of the health professionals and most importantly calibration of all hospital devices.

He mentioned that when figures about weighing were not exact, serious medical errors could be committed, “hence appropriate mechanisms must be put in place to reduce or eliminate it completely.”

Mr. George Omane-Twumasi, Head, Legal Metrology Department of the GSA, said the advancement of technology has induced people to be more inclined to the use of measuring scales for purchase and carriage adding, “a legal scale ensures fairness and transparency.

He noted that the GSA would from next year start implementing the regulations on measuring scales to end the aged dispute among trading partners, allow buyers to get value for money as well as making the National Statistical information on trends of goods and services more meaningful.

Mr. Omane-Twumasi said that the use of weighing scale would also achieve equity between buyers and sellers in the open market, to enhance consumer confidence as well as enabling Ghanaian businesses to compete fairly both home and abroad.

Ms Hannah Okyere, Acting Regional Manager of the Authority, said that the GSA was taking steps to highlight the importance of obtaining reliable measurement results to ensure safety at work places.**