Ghana

Ghana is a part of the Community of the Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional economic communities. Following its accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1957, Ghana became a member of the World Trade Organization in 1995.

Ghana has an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union and an interim trade partnership agreement with the United Kingdom. Other trade agreements and bilateral agreements that Ghana is included in are the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and the United States of America’s African Growth and Opportunity Act; and Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.

Furthermore, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) applies that gives the country preferential treatment in terms of exports to certain countries. The GSP’s overall framework and rules are administered by the WTO, with individual countries manageing their own preferences. Countries could include: Armenia; Australia; Belarus; Canada; the European Union; Iceland; Japan; Kazakhstan; New Zealand; Norway; the Russian Federation; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom; and the United States of America.

Cosmetics:
“The Guideline below is intended to assist applicants to make sure that the products they manufacture and apply for registration meet the requirements of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). This is in accordance with provisions of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 which among other things prescribes conditions of registration of cosmetics in Ghana.”

“The primary goal of the Food and Drugs Authority is to implement an efficient regulatory control system without compromising consumer safety. This regulatory system should be easy for both the industry and Authority to implement and evaluate. … This guideline describes the requirements for registration and explains how applications are made to the FDA for the registration of cosmetics and household chemical substances. … Consumer safety is the fundamental principle of cosmetic and household chemical substance registration. The FDA through the registration process gather adequate information for evaluation and assessment on the quality and safety of cosmetics and household chemical substances.”

Definition of cosmetics: “includes a substance or mixture of substances manufactured, sold, or represented for use in cleansing, improving or altering the complexion, skin, hair, eyes or teeth and includes deodorants and perfumes.”