Standards boards to help SMEs

Story: Boahene Asamoah
THE Executive Director of the Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Mr Adu Darkwa, has called on small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to engage the board in ways that will ensure that it provides services to the sector at cheaper rates.
He said representatives of SMEs could put across suggestions that would make it possible for the board to present such proposals to the government to increase subventions to the board to cater for the SME sector because of the critical role that the sector played in the economy.
Speaking at a media dialogue on “Ghana Standards Board and the SME Development”, organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and sponsored by the Business Advocacy and Challenge Fund (BUSAC), Mr Darkwa said “it would be irresponsible on our part not to charge for services rendered to SMEs”.
He said the board had undertaken a review of its core services and commercial services, its two main areas.
Mr Darkwa explained that under the new structure, the board would perform its statutory and core functions and also ensure that the board generated revenues through the operation of commercial services.
Again, he stated that the board received a one-off support and assistance from development partners, adding that the expectation of such partners was for the board to be able to generate revenue and be self reliant, stressing that this could only be done when the board commercialised some aspects of its operations.
He cited the law that established the GSB, NCR Decree 173 of 1973, which he said, established the functions of the board as a the regulatory body responsible for the quality assurance of the nation in four main areas namely, metrology, standards, testing and quality assurance.
The executive director debunked the assertion that there was functional lapses between the board and the Food and Drugs Board, saying the board worked through co-operation, co-ordination and collaboration with state agencies in their performance of the statutory functions.
Mr Darkwa expressed worry about what he termed a lot of “non-confirmed products” in the country and called on consumers to desist from patronising goods that did not have the right labels and met the standards in the country.
He called on the media to take the lead in educating the general public on the need to shun inferior imported products that did not have the right labels and or met the country’s standards.
“The media has a critical role to play in the quality infrastructure in the country”, adding that the general public must be educated on the important role of standards.
The Executive Director also called on SMEs to apply the right standards.