Ghana Police Intercept Counterfeit Fabrics Smuggled From Nigeria Worth N2.31Billion
Ghana Police Intercept Counterfeit Fabrics Smuggled From Nigeria Worth N2.31Billion
The seizure was carried out by the Special Operations Team of the Inspector General of Police following a tip-off, according to a report by Joy Online.
The Ghana Police Service has intercepted counterfeit wax-print fabrics allegedly smuggled from Nigeria and bearing imitated designs of Tex Styles Ghana Limited, the Ghanaian textile manufacturer behind the GTP brand.Nigerian news analysis
The seizure was carried out by the Special Operations Team of the Inspector General of Police following a tip-off, according to a report by Joy Online.
The fabrics were allegedly brought into Ghana without the payment of required taxes and were intended for sale in the local market.
The operation forms part of an anti-counterfeit campaign involving Ghanaian textile manufacturers and the police to tackle the circulation of fake fabrics and protect legitimate businesses.
Speaking to journalists after the operation, Schandorf Nii Obodai, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Tex Styles Ghana, said the seized textiles, including those found in a truck, were worth approximately GH₵20 million (roughly N2.31 billion).
“When you check all the materials here including the ones in the truck load, it’s about GH₵ 20 million worth of cloth which is just going to enter the local market but for the vigilance of the team,” he said.
Obodai said the activities of smugglers not only affect legitimate businesses but also deprive the government of tax revenue.
He warned that the smuggled fabrics could remain in the market for months, including after the festive season, making it difficult for local manufacturers to compete and sell their products.
“This (smuggled goods) can be in the market for about two months even after the festive season and you can imagine the amount of taxes the state may be losing just because of these smuggled items and we as a company will be struggling to sell or produce more for the local market.”
He also linked the growing circulation of counterfeit wax prints to the collapse of several local textile companies, warning that the practice was affecting production and employment.
“The impact of this is deeper than you can imagine because it affects production which turns to have an impact on job for our citizens in Ghana,” he said.
Obodai urged consumers and traders to be wary of claims that GTP fabrics are manufactured in Nigeria or other African countries, insisting that the company does not operate textile factories outside Ghana.
“Often traders are being bait with the myth that this is printed by GTP in Nigeria or Côte d’Ivoire. I want to put it on record today, that GTP doesn’t have any factory in Nigeria or elsewhere in Africa producing GTP or Vlisco cloths. GTP cloths are only produced in Ghana but they copy our designs and the stamps to reproduce the imitation products,” he said.
He said counterfeiters copy the company’s designs and stamps to manufacture imitation fabrics and pass them off as genuine GTP products.
The police operation is part of efforts by Ghanaian authorities and textile manufacturers to curb the smuggling and sale of counterfeit fabrics, protect local industries and prevent losses in government revenue.
