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The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has expressed its commitment to addressing excessive bureaucracy that hinders access to standardized products and services.
The Authority acknowledged that the bureaucratic challenges from standard bodies have created a gap between researchers, innovators, and industry players, which must be bridged for the benefit of all stakeholders.
The Authority made this statement at a standardization, certification, and conformity assessment workshop held by Heritos Labs Limited and RISA Fund in partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Addressing the media, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, who was also the keynote speaker at the workshop, Prof. Alex Dodoo, expressed the belief that expediting the standardization of products and services can foster positive relationships, stimulate economic growth, and generate employment opportunities.
“We (standard bodies) have realized that if you are not deliberate about creating the wealth that will lead to the creation of jobs, then nothing will happen. Being deliberate means listening to players within the industry, providing them with the testing they need at record time, and also the services they need to be profitable,” he noted.
He added that failure on the part of standard bodies to meet the needs of industry will have a negative impact on businesses.
On her part, the Deputy Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Mrs. Marian D. Quain, urged researchers, innovators, and industry players not to shy away from getting their products and services standardized, despite the challenges.
She emphasized the critical role that standards play in setting the stage for stakeholders, adding that as a leading organization in science and technology research, CSIR would ensure that standards are prioritized.
She acknowledged the cost involved in standardizing products and services from bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), but she stressed that this should not deter stakeholders.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Heritos Labs, Derrydean Dadzie, said that the quality of products and services that are exported should be able to meet the required standards in order to compete in the international market.
He added, “We believe in consumer safety. We also believe that sequences of products developed should have some kind of interoperable dynamic so that we can enhance efficiencies. That is why we brought the key stakeholders together.”
The workshop, which brought together stakeholders from standard bodies, science and technology research, and the media, also launched a charter on standardization, certification, and conformity assessment.
The theme of the workshop was “Advancing Standards and Certification in Research and Innovation: Building a Symbiotic Relationship with Regulators and a Culture of Standards among Researchers and Innovators.”
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