By Martin Osei Tutu
Market women at Madina Market have expressed happiness and appreciation to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for organizing a public education campaign on product certification, with special focus on certified sleeping mattresses.
The campaign, which formed part of the Authority’s nationwide outreach to promote quality and safety, educated traders and consumers on the importance of buying and selling only certified products, particularly mattresses.
Speaking in an interview with the media who were part of the exercise, many of the traders said the education had opened their eyes to the dangers of selling uncertified and substandard mattresses, which they noted could harm consumers and also damage their reputation as traders.
“We are very happy about this program. We have now understood why we must check for the Ghana Standards Authority mark before we buy and sell mattresses and other products,” one market woman stated.
Addressing the traders, the Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Ghana Standards Authority, Mr. Clement Kwolaga Kubati, said most consumers do not take their health seriously, and that is why the Authority decided to come out to educate consumers and traders in the mattress business.
“Most consumers don’t take their health seriously, this is why we came out to educate consumers and traders in the mattress business to buy and sell certified sleeping mattresses only,” Mr. Kubati stressed.
He explained that sleeping mattresses are products that people use every day and for long hours, and if they are not certified, they could contain harmful materials that cause skin irritations, breathing problems, back pains, and other serious health complications.
Mr. Kubati therefore urged traders to always demand certified mattresses from manufacturers and suppliers, and urged consumers to look out for the GSA certification mark before making a purchase.
Campaign Will Go Across The Region
On her part, Margaret Fidelia Awumee, Head of Monitoring and Compliance at the Regional Office of the Ghana Standards Authority, Accra, said the campaign is not ending at Madina.
“This campaign is not ending here, but we will take it across the region,” Madam Awumee assured.
She said the Authority is committed to reaching all major markets and trading centres in Greater Accra to ensure that traders and consumers understand the importance of certification and the need to protect public health.
Madam Awumee added that the Monitoring and Compliance team will continue to visit markets to enforce standards and support traders who are ready to comply.
The GSA team also took the traders through the process of product certification, how to identify genuine certified mattresses, the difference between certified and counterfeit products, and the role of traders in ensuring that only quality products reach the market.
The market women appealed to the Authority to organize such programs regularly and to extend them to other markets across the country.
