Lawrence Osei-Boateng, Senior Commercial Officer, Ministry of Trade and Industry has proposed a national taskforce on illicit trade on all products across the country to clamp down on counterfeit products.

He said the country’s borders need to be strengthened in addition to building the capacities of the Ghana Immigration Service and Custom Division of Ghana Revenue Authority to prevent any sub-standards goods entering into the country.

Mr Osei-Boateng was speaking during a panel discussion in Accra on the Ghana Journalists Association programme dubbed: ‘Business Advocate’ on Ghana Television supported by the BUSAC Fund, the Embassy of Denmark and the United States Agency for International Development.

Speaking on the topic: Illicit trade and counterfeit goods, Mr Osei-Boateng said on September 3, the Ministry seized 165 pirated textiles and arrested perpetrators at Makola Market to serve as a deterrent to potential offenders.

He said the issue of pirated goods is worrying because it affects the businesses of local manufacturers and called for concerted efforts to address the problem.

Mr Osei-Boateng observed that, I n 2006 the Ministry in collaboration with the textile industry set up a taskforce on counterfeit textiles and that pieces of pirated textiles had been seized from warehouses and the open markets, which had been destroyed as part of efforts to save the local textile industry.

He said the pirated textiles had fake patent or registered logos of local manufacturing companies such as the Akosombo Textiles Limited, Ghana Textiles Print, and Printex as well as copied labels of the Ghana Standards Boards.

Mr Osei-Boateng said the influx of pirated textiles in the country prevent potential investors into the country because organisations would like to invest in an atmosphere of sound, quality and safe environment.

Mr Charles Asante-Bempong, Project Manager of the Ghana Employers’ Association said the body supports and promotes the economic and social interest of employers to ensure peace and national growth.

Mr Asante-Bempong said the association has organised a stakeholders' workshop in Accra to sensitise the public on the fight against the influx of counterfeit products and illicit trade on the Ghanaian market.

He expressed concern that the low penalty fee for pirated textiles are not punitive enough and urged the government to review the amount to make it more proactive and minimise the flow of fake goods.

Mrs Owusua Adansi Ofori, Senior State Attorney of the Registrar General’s Department said there is the need to collaborate with stakeholders to intensive education on counterfeit products and intellectual property rights to address the problem.

Mr Maxwell Kogbe, Standards Officer at the Ghana Standards Authority said most of the pirated goods entered into the country’s market through unapproved points and that the Authority is working to combat the issue and called on the public to report any such activities to facilitate the process.