Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) have urged the public to beware of influx of counterfeits products in the Ghanaian market. FDA said the activities of counterfeiting has become a grieve concern to them and that the public need to be on the lookout in their communities on the activities of counterfeiters.
FDA in an effort to address it has embarked on regional public forums to create awareness as part of their mandate to help reduce counterfeit to the barest minimum. The forum is to seek the public views on the operations of the authority.
Addressing a forum in Tamale, Acting Deputy C.E.O of FDA in-charge of Monitoring and Evaluation, Peter Agyeman Duah explained that the cost involved in producing counterfeit products are minimal as compared to standard ones and the public collaboration is key in curbing counterfeit products in the Ghanaian market.
The regional forum focuses on counterfeit products which are now the bane on the FDA. The major problem confronting both developed and developing world, the FDA said, counterfeiters used some amount of the active ingredients to deceive consuming public that the products are not fake.
Health implications of counterfeits he said, includes complications of people’s health conditions especially, those producing antibiotics for various illnesses. On the displacing of products in unhygienic conditions in open places. He identified sachet water producers as the worst offenders of such practices and urged them to desist from displacing products in an open place under the scorching sun.
Northern Regional Director of FDA, Sylvester Oteng- Kyei said his outfit will continue to monitor and regulate various manufacturing facilities.
Giving statistics of facilities in the region, Mr Oteng-Kyei said northern region has 250 manufacturing facilities, 20 herbal facilities 10 pharmaceutical warehouses, 18 hotels and 53 Food and water facilities.
Head of Communications at FDA, Mr James Lartey said the authority is doing its best to protect consumers. When the Aphrodisiacs or sex enhancement products cropped out in the country sometime years back, the FDA collaborated with Custom Excises and Preventive Services (CEPS) and the police was able to uncover rot at a Chinase matrix manufacturing company at Tema in the greater Accra region.
Mr Lartey therefore appealed to the public to collaborate with FDA to combat the activities of people who are putting people’s lives in danger. 
