The leadership of Concerned Second Hand Dealers Association, is appealing to Government not to ban the importation of some second hand or home used products in Ghana because, they have no jobs to give them.
“The Government should therefore come to our aid by considering the huge number of people who are engaged in this business and their direct beneficiaries and not forgetting the numerous numbers of people who patronize these items. Now that there is economic hardship all over the world, why will one say that he is taking our job which feeds over millions of people in this country from our hands and not forgetting about our contribution to the GDP. Again if the setting Government is seeking for assistance from International Monetary Fund (IMF) which it will prevent them from employing workers, where will they find jobs for us and our graduate children which we are still feeding in our homes due to the inability of the Government to find them jobs”.
This was made known at a press conference organized by the Association on the statement made by the Energy Commission on the ban of importation of some second hand or home used products.
Addressing the media, Mr. Daniel Asare, Chairman of the Concerned Second Hand Dealers Association said, they have tried everything possible to reach the Energy Commission but all efforts have been in vain.
“We tried to them through the Trade Ministry which the Ministry assured us to hold a meeting between the Energy Commission, the Energy Ministry an us on the same matter but the meeting ha not been hold”.
The Energy Commission he indicated, were basing their reasons on that fact that, Ghana has become a dumping site or grounds for second hand items saying, second hand items consumes a lot of energy and the use of them are harmful and hazardous substances to human health.
“Right after our first press release which we made the whole public became aware of these false allegations by the Energy Commission, because they don’t have any scientific proof to these allegations, then the Energy Commission quickly came out saying, Ghana risks becoming an environmental dumping site for used electrical and electronic waste from Europe through an interview with Daily Graphic in Accra on 31st August, 2022 by the Assistant Manager in charge of Energy Efficiency Inspection and Enforcement at the Commission, Hurbert Nsoh Zan stating further that presently the commission was seeking overarching powers to effectively deal with the development, leaving two (2) of their main reasons of banning the importation of secondhand items”.
Energy Commission he mentioned, came out again stating that they have already ban some two (2) items which they would make a revise of them namely, refrigerators and air conditioners.
According to the Chairman, Energy Commission made the whole public aware that two items are banned because Ghana has become a dumping site or grounds added that, they have made further researches on those items about their reason and that it’s never true but rather, the items uses ozone depleting substance (ODS) which causes effects to the ozone layer and even with that it has migrated from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to hydro chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and as at now, hydro fluorocarbon (HFC) and that, the two items were banned because of those reason but not to state that Ghana becoming a dumping site for such items.
“The Energy Commission has admitted that the new items brought to this country are substandard which they want to regulate these items through Ghana Standard Authority and they have admitted also that about eighty (80) to ninety (90) percent of secondhand items meets standard in a meeting with GUTA but their major concern was how to regulate these items. So why is the commission not regulating the secondhand item but rather sees the need to ban secondhand items from entering this country? We want the whole public to understand that items brought to this country for sale goes through proper monetary and checks before exporting them to the country which are all from European countries”.
He further pointed out that, the Association have again made proper checks on the sale of secondhand items in the whole world and they are being sold in every country and even in advance countries too. “So why the ban in this country which people finds it se difficult to get jobs. Research has made us understand that Ukraine an European country is the second leading country in world who imports secondhand items in 2022 so if the items are not good why is Ukraine importing them to their country or are we to say that Ghana is more advanced than Ukraine? Commission”.
