Counterfeit Electrical Products, Major Contributor To Fire Outbreaks

CDA Consult, a development communication and advocacy consulting firm Wednesday rolled out a national campaign against the proliferation of counterfeit electrical products in the country. CDA Consult asserted that the usage of counterfeit electrical products is a major contributor to the rampant fire outbreaks in the country. �We need a national crusade to fight the proliferation of counterfeit electrical products. We must all join a holistic campaign to sensitize the public against the usage of counterfeit electrical products, a statement signed by Mr Francis Ameyibor, CDA Consult General Coordinator and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra stated. The campaign also seeks to increase the level of public information about the dangers of counterfeit electrical products; stop the ever increasing sale of the products on the Ghanaian markets; save lives and limit the nefarious effects of electrical counterfeiting. The statement said CDA Consult would collaborate with public institutions, including the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Electrical Contractors Association, end users, contractors, security agencies, and the media in the campaign against the proliferation of counterfeit electric products in the country. CDA Consult said the campaign will also focus on equipping public officials with basic information to recognize electrical counterfeit items at first sight; to ensure that officials take stiffer actions on counterfeit electrical products; and equip electricians and retailers to be able to distinguish between fake electrical products from genuine ones. The CDA Consult noted that the usage of counterfeit electrical products has a huge negative economic impact on the country as it impedes development, creates huge financial lost to investors and the state as well as loss of life. The CDA Consult recommends that the national campaign against the use of counterfeit electrical products should focus on raising awareness among the public regarding counterfeiting. The statement therefore called for concerted effort to expose the public to the main consequence of using cheap counterfeit electrical products � fire outbreaks and/or corporal harms like electrocution, loss of properties, accidents and death. CDA Consult explained that a national campaign against the use of counterfeit electrical products should also aim at discouraging the patronage of counterfeit electrical products and to direct taste towards genuine electrical products. It also aims to push governmental agencies to be pro-active in dealing with counterfeit electrical products.