The Draft Consumer Protection bill is gathering dust at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) building while draft bills from other ministries move through the legislative processes to parliament and are getting attention.
Ghana got its first Consumer Protection Draft Bill in 2006. Four presidents have come and three gone, yet progress has painstakingly been slow with no demonstrable appetite by the Executive arm to facilitate the bill’s passage.
Uncontestably, the absence of a Consumer Protection law in the country has contributed to widespread and deliberate abuse of consumer rights in the country. Consumer rights are fundamental human rights which the state has a binding duty to promote, protect and safeguard through the enactment of laws and their enforcement.
Since 2017, the bill has been listed among the list of bills to be received by parliament – but checks seem to suggest the bill has never made its way to parliament. This seeming lack of interest in the law by MoTI is a betrayal of the people’s trust to safeguard their interests.
The majority of businesses continue to display goods sold are not returnable, which is a clear indication that goods being sold are not fit for the purpose they claim.
When passed into law, the Act will empower, protect and enhance the welfare and interests of the consumer to promote a fair, transparent and efficient marketplace. Additionally, it will provide a consistent and effective consumer protection framework, prohibit certain unfair practices, promote fair business practices and responsible consumer behaviour.
In 2018, CUTS and the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) mobilised over 20,000 signatures urging the Executive to tidy up every work that needs to be done on the draft bill and have it forwarded to parliament.
The energy and urgency that the Minister for MoTI, K.T. Hammond, is employing in trying to get a legislative instrument to regulate pricing of cement in the country, we believe should also be employed with the Consumer Protection bill passage.
Consumers cannot wait for another parliament to pass the Consumer Protection bill into law.
