Ghana needs packaging policy

The Institute of Packaging, Ghana (IPOG), has vowed to actively engage key players in the industry to stimulate action on a national packaging policy.

Mr Thomas Kwesi Abaidoo, President, said it had already met manufacturers, polymer scientists and technocrats, small-scale and medium enterprises, officials of the Trade and Industry Ministry, Ghana Standard Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority to push through this agenda.

He made these comments at a day's stakeholder’s workshop in Kumasi, saying the absence of such a policy was hampering growth, preventing manufacturers from taking advantage of the rapidly growing external market. Having a national packaging policy would help educate and sensitize manufacturers to maintain standards, Mr. Abaidoo said.

The workshop was organized by the Institute with support from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and was under theme Enhancing National Productivity Through Efficient and Effective Packaging. It brought together pharmacists, manufacturers, researchers, farmers, food processors, exporters, polymer researchers, and journalists.

Mr Abaidoo noted that consumers were increasingly demanding high quality packaging for products and that was why they needed to act with urgency.

It has become more critical and unavoidable to comply with importer market requirement related to product packaging quality and safety standards and regulations, to environment protection and ethical considerations, he added. Similar workshops are to be held in the Greater Accra and Northern Regions.