Barcodes technologies launched

Accra, March 18, GNA - Barcodes technologies, a global trade identification system, was on Tuesday launched in Accra to provide easy tracking of products information for authentication purposes. Bar codes are the vertical black and white lines fixed on products that provided information on the manufacturer, nature of product, batch number, among others by the aid of an electronic scanner.

The initiative was a collaborative effort between Ministry of Trade, Industry, President's Special Initiative and Private Sector Development and One Global Standards (GS1), a global non-profit organisation. At the Launch, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Deputy Minister, said the use of bar codes in Ghana had become necessary in view of the existing barriers to trade, such as the absence of electronic technologies that deny exporters entry into international market. She said the initiative was recommended by a committee tasked by the Ministry to find out ways to assist Ghanaian exporters accessing traceability tools. She explained that best known bar code applications were often available at supermarkets where a scanner at the cash register point read the product code and sent out information to a central computer system for interpretation.

Ms Botchwey noted that bar codes therefore constituted a technological tool, which created confidence in buyers and consumers that the product's origin could easily be traced. According to her, the technology also served as a mark of compliance to global standards, saying its neglect would therefore marginalize the country's performance in the global market. Ms Botchwey said bar codes were complements to the Labelling Regulations (LI 1541) enforced by the Ghana Standards Board, adding that, the Board had began a campaign to alert consumers to look for such product information. She further appealed to Ghanaian exporters to contact GS1 and the Institute of Packaging to obtain their bar code identification. Mr Kofi M. Essuman, Chairman, GS1 Ghana, said until recently, Ghana was the only sub-Saharan country registered as a member of GS1. "GS1 has a lot to offer the business community in Ghana and it is my hope that we will make the best use of this simple business tool for efficiency in business transactions," he added. He said GS1 had over one million companies using GS1 products and services in sectors ranging from fast moving consumer goods to healthcare, transport, defence and aerospace. 18 March 08