Speaking in an interview with Luv FM, Nana Yaw Ampem-Darko Antwi revealed that data from the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) points to an alarming rise in the production and sale of mattresses that fail to meet approved quality standards.

Most of these products, he said, are locally produced using polystyrene instead of the required polyurethane material.

“These unapproved mattresses pose serious health threats, including body aches, skin irritation, and poor sleep quality,” he warned.

Mr. Antwi explained that many of the producers operate informally, often as Free Zone companies or in makeshift backyard setups, taking advantage of weak monitoring systems.

He drew a striking comparison to how galamsey began as a small-scale activity before escalating into a national menace.

“Just as galamsey started on a small scale and later became a full-blown crisis, the production of unapproved mattresses can follow the same path if we don’t act now,” he cautioned.

According to him, the lack of strict enforcement and the influx of substandard products not only endanger public health but also undermine the efforts of legitimate manufacturers who comply with national standards.

He called for urgent collaboration between the Ghana Standards Authority, law enforcement agencies, the media, and genuine producers to clamp down on the illegal trade.

Mr. Antwi further advised consumers to pay close attention to product labels before making purchases.

“Every approved mattress bears a Ghana Standards Authority label. That’s the only way to be sure you’re buying something safe,” he said.

He warned that if the trend continues unchecked, the impact could stretch beyond health risks to economic losses and job cuts in the formal sector.

“We may soon find ourselves battling another form of ‘galamsey’, this time not in our rivers and forests, but in our homes and bedrooms,” he added.

Source: Jude Mawufemo Fiagbe

The suspects were arrested on Thursday at the security gate of the camp when they made a brisk attempt to sneak out with the items.

They have since been handed over to the Bogoso police.

The arrest followed stringent measures by stakeholders to prevent social miscreants from impersonation and stealing at the camp.

On January 20, 2022, a truck carrying explosives en route to the Chirano Gold Mines in the Western North Region exploded at Apiate, a community between Bogoso, killing at least 14 people and levelling the entire community.

Since then, Maxam, the company involved in the manufacturing of explosives has asked, after the government’s investigations, to pay a total of US$6 million, including a $1 million fine for regulatory breaches.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has since directed that the additional $5 million be donated to the Support Fund set up by the government to reconstruct the community.

James Amfo Mensah, Bogoso Zonal Director of the National Disaster Management Organization in charge of stores, confirmed the arrest to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Sunday.

He, however, warned all such impostors that the law would deal drastically with such social deviants to serve as a deterrent to other people.

“Initially, people from all walks of life infiltrated the camp but we are now settled and know ourselves better so no one can impersonate. We know ourselves by name, relationship and friendships.”

“We are protecting ourselves. We will fish out such criminals because we have data of all of using the camp,” he assured.

Also, there are stationed security personnel patrolling the Camp day and night to protect lives and property.

Mr Mensah said there was an adequate food supply at the Camp for distribution to inmates.

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“We have lots of food, beverages, toiletries among others. The last time we supplied rood was Monday, January 3, yet no one is complaining about food shortages,” he said.

Meanwhile, he appealed for more containers to secure items donated as many mattresses among others were kept in the open – at the mercy of the weather.

“We want to assure all that the lives of inmates here are secured. There is enough food, for now, all the people are happy and healthy,” Mr Mensah indicated.

He talked about being an orphan who lost his mum at the age of 1, how he slept on the streets on his path to seek greener pastures in Accra and the painful journey to attain the limelight.

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Most fans concluded the talented songwriter’s name, Bullet, fits his person as he proved to be a hard nut to crack.

In the interview with Andy Dosty, Bullet said he was finding it difficult to sleep on mattresses because his street life made him addicted to sleeping on the floor.

To prove this, he asked Andy Dosty to “ask any woman who has dated me from 2009 till date.”

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“It was until recently that I learnt how to sleep on a bed. I’ve slept on the bare floor many times that I find it difficult to sleep on the bed. People tell me I am strange.

“Even when I sleep in hotels, they think I lay my bed when I wake up without noticing that I never slept on it. Life hasn’t been easy like this,” he narrated.