The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) and CUTS International, an advocacy group, have expressed disappointment with the government’s failure to enact the Consumer Protection Bill.
Mr. Koffi Capito, Chief Executive Officer of the CPA, told the media at a press conference that the absence of the legislation had left consumers vulnerable to unfair commercial practices, saying, the situation was unacceptable, and it must be addressed immediately.
He said countless individuals have suffered from substandard goods, deceptive marketing, exploitative pricing, and other forms of unethical business conduct due to the unavailability of the Consumer Protection Bill which provides legal frameworks.
He gave a classical example that “imagine a mother who spends her hard-earned money on what she believes to be safe food for her children, only to find it contaminated, or a retired teacher from Pokukrom who has used part of his pension lump sum to go and buy a 55-inch television (TV), and after some time, the TV stops working and the seller refuses to accept any liability”.
He further urged the Members of Parliament to approach the legislation with seriousness, noting that Ghana needed a law that was robust, comprehensive, and enforceable, to protect consumers.
However, the delay in the passage of the bill has created a substantial gap in the legal system of consumer protection, allowing unscrupulous businesses to exploit consumers.
The process to establish a consumer protection law began in 2005, during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor. Several political parties have included it in their manifestos over the years, but successive administrations have failed to pass it.
