Ghana Standards Authority has marked this year’s World Standards Day with a call on stakeholders to integrate standards into every aspect of national development.
The day is celebrated across the globe on October 14 each year to recognize the critical role that standards play in promoting safety, driving innovation, and enabling sustainable development.
In a speech read on her behalf by Mr Hudu Mogtari, Board Chairman of the GSA, the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said standards were not merely technical documents, but strategic instruments for national transformation.
“They determine how safe our food is, how reliable our infrastructure becomes, how competitive our exports remain, and how inclusive and sustainable our economic growth can be,” she said.
The Minister said by developing and enforcing the Ghana and internationally aligned standards, GSA ensured that Ghana’s products from electrical cables and cement, mechanical and food products, to textiles and agribusiness exports met global quality requirements, enabling market access and competitiveness.
She said through the development of food safety standards and certification, such as ISO 22000 and the regulation of aflatoxin levels in grains and nuts, the GSA played a pivotal role in protecting consumers and opening international markets for Ghanaian farmers.
“By supporting local manufacturers with conformity assessment standards, metrology and accreditation services, GSA ensures that the made-in-Ghana label becomes synonymous with quality, reliability, and safety,” the Minister said.
She said Ghana could not achieve the goals of the Africa continental free trade area without robust and harmonized standards.
“Standardization reduces trade barriers, lowers production costs, and strengthens consumer confidence in cross-border commerce,”
She said the GSA’s partnership with industry, academia, and development partners would be critical to ensure that Ghana’s products did not just reach markets across Africa, but thrive there.
The Minister urged manufacturers and industry players to invest in compliance and testing to uphold the highest standards as quality was the gateway to growth.
She urged development partners to continue to support Ghana in strengthening its quality infrastructure to meet the demands of global trade while consumers must demand quality and safety as their choices could drive positive change.
She pledged the government’s continued support for the GSA in modernizing laboratory infrastructure and expanding testing capabilities.
“We will promote harmonization of Ghana standards with global best practices, and we will empower GSA with the resources and policies needed to sustain its mandate as a strategic driver of the reset agenda,” Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Clifford Frimpong Deputy Director-General, the Director-General GSA, Professor George Agyei, said standards created common understanding, harmonized practices across borders, and served as the foundation for partnerships that drive sustainable development.
“At the heart of SDG 17 is the belief that no single organization, nation, or sector can achieve the sustainable development goals alone. It requires partnerships between governments and the private sector, between regulators and innovators, between nations and communities,” he said.
Prof Agyei said GSA had always embraced the spirit of collaboration, working closely with international and regional bodies to align Ghana’s standards with global best practices.
He said GSA’s technical cooperation with UNIDO and the European Union, universities and various regulatory bodies had yielded tangible results, strengthening GSA’s laboratories, expandinh testing capabilities, and improving certification and inspection systems.
“These efforts have enhanced Ghana’s competitiveness in regional and national trade, particularly under the African continental free trade area,” he said.
The day, which was marked on the theme: “Shared Vision for a Better World, Standards for Sustainable Development,” featured solidarity messages from some stakeholders and presentation of certificates to winners of 2024/25 ARSO Essay Competition.
GNA
