On Thursday, March 19, 2026, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), in collaboration with the Police SWAT team, embarked on an enforcement exercise in Adabraka, closing down several shops for selling substandard paint products.
The exercise, led by the Greater Accra Regional Office, follows weeks of sample collection from the affected shops for laboratory testing. The laboratory analysis of the samples revealed that the paints contained high levels of lead, exceeding the permissible limit of 0.0009 under GS Specification 181:2019. The exposure to such high lead levels can cause serious health risks such as cancer and kidney problems.
Speaking to the media after the exercise, Mr. Clement Kwolaga Kubati, the Greater Accra Regional Manager, stated that, his outfit will undertake a series of similar exercise to eliminate substandard products like cables and other household materials from the market.
“What you have witnessed today is a testament of what GSA can do. It is not going to be a one-off thing. There is going to be series of this exercise. From paint, we will move to electricals and any other product we have intelligence on.
“We are pleading with Ghanaians to assist us to rid the market of substandard products,” he stated.
The enforcement team affixed GSA stickers bearing the inscription “Under Temporary Closure by GSA” to the affected shops, serving as a clear warning to consumers.