By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, Sept. 30, GNA – The Energy Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Clean Climate and Air Coalition (CCAC), has trained Customs officers on enforcing energy efficiency regulations at Ghana’s borders.
The training, held at the Skyplus Hotel in Ho, was aimed at strengthening the capacity of officers of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to identify and enforce minimum energy performance standards for electrical appliances imported into the country.
Mr Hubert Nsoh Zan, the Manager in charge of Energy Efficiency Regulation at the Energy Commission, said the regulations passed in 2022 were designed to ensure that consumers had access to quality, durable and energy-efficient electrical appliances.
“We believe that the Ghanaian consumer deserves quality, durable and energy-efficient products,” he said.
Mr Zan said Customs officers had a critical role because they operated at the country’s entry points and were therefore strategically positioned to scrutinise imported appliances and prevent those that failed to meet the required standards from entering the market.
He said effective enforcement would not only protect consumers from substandard appliances but also promote informed purchasing decisions and contribute to energy conservation.
Mr Zan urged consumers to look for the Energy Commission’s approved yellow energy-efficiency label when purchasing electrical appliances, saying it provided information on appliance energy consumption and potential electricity costs.
He said the Commission had introduced QR codes on new energy-efficiency labels to enable importers, Customs officers and consumers to verify their authenticity and help prevent the use of counterfeit labels.
He further advised consumers to download the Certified Appliances App from the Google Play Store or iOS platforms to verify approved labels and obtain information on the energy performance of appliances.
“What we say is: no label, no good. So, without the label, you buy at your own risk,” he cautioned.
Assistant Commissioner Nathaniel Baddoo, Ho Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the GRA, said Customs had an important responsibility to prevent appliances that failed to meet the required standards from entering the country.
He urged officers to apply the knowledge acquired from the training in their daily duties to protect consumers and the environment and contribute to efforts to address environmental degradation and climate-related challenges.
Madam Akosua Aninakwa, the Project Officer at the UNDP, said the training formed part of a capacity-building programme being implemented in collaboration with the Energy Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen enforcement of energy efficiency regulations at border posts.
She said the programme covered border locations from Takoradi through Aflao and Tema and was intended to strengthen enforcement while supporting Ghana’s environmental objectives, the Sustainable Development Goals and other international environmental commitments.
The training underscored the importance of collaboration among regulatory institutions in ensuring that imported electrical appliances met Ghana’s energy efficiency requirements before reaching consumers.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah