The level of poverty, which is brought about by underemployment and unemployment, has expectedly, led to a boom in the importation of substandard and used electrical appliances. To say that Ghanaians rely heavily on imported electrical appliances is to state the obvious.
What is worse is that, the country is heavily dependent on import, we import virtually everything including used cloth, the country has thus become a dumping ground for these items.
As part of efforts to prevent Ghana from becoming a dumping ground for some substandard electrical appliances, the Energy Commission has announced a ban on the importation of some new but substandard and used electrical appliances.
The Energy Commission in a statement, said per its mandate under Act 541, it had caused Parliament to pass 19 laws to regulate the markets for electrical appliances and renewable energy projects.
The bill seeks to reduce electricity demand and cost; protect the environment and safeguard the health of citizens from air pollution caused by increased power generation; and protect consumers from purchasing unsuitable appliances as well as paying unnecessarily high electricity bills.
It is our opinion that the ban, if successful, will in the short term compound have implications for the public that depend on the imported appliances, because of the cost, as well as the workers that work for the dealers.
As a country, if we wish to grow and enjoy the benefits that come with buying brand new appliances, we have to embrace the bill and support it, while ensuring that, the old appliances are phased out of the market gradually.
As a newspaper, we share in the concerns being raised by some Ghanaians, including the minority Members of Parliament, who reject the bill in its entirety, but we hasten to add that, we cannot be moving forward and looking back into the rearview mirror.
The impact these used electrical appliances dumped in the country, have on electricity consumption is too much. The cost of buying a new appliance is very high, but the benefit in savings in the long run is cheaper than buying a used appliance.
Most fire outbreaks recorded in the country, are as a result of these used products, Ghana can do without them.
