Registration process cannot be circumvented – FDA tells importers

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has asked the importing public to register FDA-regulated products well ahead of the importation of goods at the ports of Ghana.

Speaking on ‘Eye on Port’, FDA Director of the Centre for Import and Export Control, Emmanuel Yaw Kwarteng, pointed out that timely registration does away with the hustle associated with clearance of such products at the port.

He noted that registration, being FDA’s major tool to safeguard public health and safety, cannot be circumvented in any way, and has to be complied with at all costs, reflecting on continued pressure from some importing entities to clear goods that have not been registered.

“Registration is an elaborate process, where FDA cannot promise stakeholders 2, 5, 10 days to magically finish it. Testing alone cannot be done under 10 days,” he indicated.

Internal reforms

Mr Kwarteng averred that to ensure that his outfit does not impede trade facilitation, the FDA has over recent years undergone internal reforms to make registration efficient.

“The registration process for medicines has been cut into half the time. At most, you can have your registration for medicine done within 6 months. For food, within the 3 months, and as early as one week,” he cited.

He said apart from a few major importers, large sections of the importing public lack adequate understanding of the FDA’s processes leading to low compliance.

Again, he appealed to importers to always contact the FDA when interested in introducing commercial products to Ghana saying “pulling surprises” will end up with such products being subjected to the necessary laborious process.

He further cautioned importers against declaring false Free-on-Board (FOB) figures in the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) saying, due to the digitalised system, they will be traced and sanctioned accordingly.

FDA fees

Meanwhile, the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) has called for a reduction in FDA’s fees during the clearance of goods at the ports.

The General Secretary of FABAG, Sam Aggrey, believes a reduction in the fees charged to importers is necessary due to the current economic climate characterised by inflation and exchange rate volatility.

He lamented that due to exchange rate fluctuations, the cost of importation has continually hiked at the ports making it unattractive to engage in international trade.

“Initially when the 0.8 percent of FOB price was rolled out, we did not see anything challenging about it. Now the exchange rate has affected us so badly. If you look at how much we were paying for that 0.8 percent then as opposed to now, a vast difference, especially for us bringing us many volumes of cargo. The additional cost is almost about 40 percent increase. This adds to the other fees we have to pay on the import bill,” he said.