- The Energy Commission of Ghana has engaged industry players in implementing the Electrical Wiring Cables and Electrical Wiring Accessories Regulations.
- Stephen Yomoh explained that the guidelines currently in development will introduce a comprehensive framework for registering importers and manufacturers and issuing certificates of conformance.
The Energy Commission of Ghana has engaged industry players in implementing the Electrical Wiring Cables and Electrical Wiring Accessories Regulations, 2023 (LI 2478).
The meeting, held in Accra, brought together key players, including importers, manufacturers, contractors and regulatory bodies, to finalise guidelines for enforcing the regulations.
LI 2478 was passed by Parliament in 2023, aiming to regulate the importation and manufacturing of electrical wiring materials in the country. It builds on the existing Electrical Wiring Regulations (LI 2008), passed in 2011, which only covered the use of approved materials by certified electricians but failed to regulate the production and importation of these materials.
To this end, LI 2478 seeks to close the loophole, ensuring that only materials that meet the standards of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) are sold in the market, mitigating potential hazards such as electrical fires, shocks and equipment failures.
This becomes necessary as the country has a high electricity access rate of over 80 per cent, and many citizens risk electrical hazards due to substandard wiring materials.
In an interview at the stakeholder meeting, Stephen Yomoh, Assistant Manager of the Electrical Wiring Secretariat at the Energy Commission, explained that the guidelines underway will introduce a comprehensive framework for registering importers and manufacturers and issuing certificates of conformance.
These certificates will prove that the wiring materials supplied by vendors meet the GSA’s safety standards. He also noted the commission’s plan to use specialised mobile test vans to allow inspectors to perform on-site tests of electrical cables and accessories at marketplaces, reducing suppliers’ resistance.
“The mobile vans will make enforcement much easier because suppliers can witness the tests in real-time and understand why their materials either meet or fail to meet the standards,” he explained.
He added that with sensitisation efforts beginning immediately and a pilot phase scheduled for January 2025, full nationwide enforcement is expected by June 2025.
The guidelines also outline sanctions for non-compliance, including removing non-compliant products from shelves, re-exportation, or destruction. Unlike the previous law, LI 2478 introduces minimum and maximum penalty units to ensure that offenders are adequately punished, serving as a deterrent to potential violators.
President of the Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA), Awal Sakib Mohammed, expressed confidence in the Energy Commission’s ability to implement the regulations effectively and urged the public to be vigilant, as substandard products pose serious risks to life and property.