By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has announced its intention to certify and test both locally manufactured and imported furniture, specifically plastic chairs, to ensure the availability of quality furniture products and to minimise the potential risks that sub-standard furniture may pose to customers.
The decision to implement testing and certification in the furniture industry comes against the backdrop of the Ghana Standards Authority’s testing programme, which revealed that none of the 20 plastic chairs purchased from various companies across the country met the standard criteria.
The Director-General of the GSA, Professor Alexander Doodo, made this announcement during a stakeholder meeting, where the GSA and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) engaged stakeholders in the wood and furniture industry regarding the testing and certification of wood and furniture products in the country. This event represents the inaugural public stakeholder engagement on the necessity for furniture certification in Ghana.
“We have observed that the country has many artisans in the furniture space, yet they are unable to export them due to its poor standard on the global market. Also, most people are ignorant about the implications of sub-standard furniture on the body, especially the spine – leading to backaches and other health issues.
“In protecting consumers, we purchased 20 samples of plastic chairs in the country where none passed any of the testing requirement,” he added.
He emphasised that testing and certification in the sector represent an “opportunity for the industry to step up and meet the requirements of standardisation, producing furniture that is fit for purpose”.
Furthermore, he noted that with the establishment of the wood and furniture testing facility centre at the CSIR-FORIG, all manufactured products will undergo comprehensive testing using the approved scheme, ensuring rigorous assessment of their quality and standards.
The Director at FORIG, Professor Daniel Ofori, elaborated that beyond collaborating with the GSA to ensure the production of quality furniture meet global standards, the joint effort of the two institutions would contribute to sustaining the forest and reducing waste.
“With sub-standard products which usually break easily, one would have to harvest more trees to manufacture new ones. Once you do that, you are not sustainably managing the forest and the product that comes with it. This also has a huge toll on the environment and sustainability of the environmental processes and creates a lot of waste in the environment,” he noted.
He reiterated that the wood and furniture testing facility they have would ensure that products leaving manufacturers and entering the market, including those destined for export, meet standardised testing requirements. Additionally, Prof. Doodo emphasised that the facility at Fumesua is the best in Africa.
He indicated that having 40 percent of the plastic furniture failing eight out of 11 tests is extremely concerning. He assured customers that his outfit, together with CSIR-FORIG, is committed to working with the furniture sector to ensure that any furniture products they purchase from the market pass the tests and provide them with the necessary protection.
To the industry players, he called on them to partner with government in meeting the required standards, saying: “We are inviting the industry at the early stage to partner with government to ensure that the standards to be applied meet the needs of the industry, the world and consumer”.
