FABAG urges Mahama to suspend Ghana EasyPASS, warns new import checks will raise costs, delay shipments.
The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) has urged President John Dramani Mahama to suspend the Ghana Standards Authority’s (GSA) Ghana EasyPASS Programme, arguing that the mandatory pre-export conformity verification system will increase the cost of doing business and drive up consumer prices. In a statement issued on July 6, FABAG said the programme would impose additional certification fees, administrative costs and shipment delays on importers, despite existing quality assurance and inspection roles already being performed by the GSA, Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA). The association maintained that the policy amounts to an unnecessary financial burden on businesses still recovering from recent economic challenges and called on government to strengthen existing regulatory institutions instead, while engaging stakeholders before implementing the programme.
