Enacting a Consumer Protection Law in Ghana: Possible lessons from the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015
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Nov 1, 2020
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Abstract
For many years, the trend of legislation has been piecemeal with a fusion of the rules of laws for the protection of consumer and non-consumer buyers. However, the complexity of accessing the fragmented laws and their unsuitability in dealing with contemporary consumers issues have led to the adoption of a Consumer Protection Policy 2014 with the primary object of providing a consumer tailored regime for the protection of consumers in Ghana. While the adopted 2014 Policy document is currently before the Attorney General Department to be drafted into a Bill for Parliament consideration, the present article appraises the comprehensiveness of the existing law and the adopted Consumer Protection Policy 2014 in effectively responding to the problems of consumers in Ghana. This is explored in comparison with the approach of the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 while bearing in mind the peculiar circumstances in Ghana. This article argues that whereas the effort of the government is so far commendable, there are noticeable unresolved consumer concerns. Of particular concern is consolidating the laws on consumer contracts and coverage of the law on the supply of services to consumers. This paper, therefore, submits that addressing these concerns is vital to ensuring that consumers are provided with a comprehensive and effective regime in Ghana.
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Yidana, N. (2020). Enacting a Consumer Protection Law in Ghana: Possible lessons from the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015. Law Research Review Quarterly, 6(4), 323-342. https://doi.org/10.15294/lrrq.v6i4.41183
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
All writings published in this journal are personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions. Author(s) are retain the copyrights of the Article. However, before publishing, it is required to obtain written confirmation from Author(s) in order to ensure the originality (Author Statement of Originality). The statement is to be signed by at least one of the authors who have obtained the assent of the co-author(s) where applicable.This work licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
References
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Bank of Ghana Act 2002, Act 612, Ghana.
Banking Act 2004, Act 673, Ghana.
Barak, A. (2007). Purposive interpretation in law. Princeton University Press.
Barclays Bank Plc v Weeks Legg & Dean [1999] Q.B. 309.
Baskind, E., Osborne G. and Roach, L. (2016). Commercial Law. 2nd eds: Oxford University Press.
Bolitho v City and Hackney Health Authority [1998] A.C. 232.
Bridge, M. G. (Ed.). (2017). Benjamin's sale of goods (Vol. 11). Sweet & Maxwell.
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Competition and Consumer Protection Act, No. 29, 2014, Ireland.
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Consumer Protection Act, No. 68, 2008, South Africa.
Consumer Protection Policy 2014, Ghana.
Consumer Rights Act 2015, UK.
Consumer Rights Act 2015: Explanatory Notes.
Contract Act 1960, Act 25, Ghana.
CUTS, (n.d.). Ghana’s Consumer Protection Law is Long Overdue. retrieved from https://www.busac.org/downloads/policybriefs/CUTS2.pdf on 06/08/2020.
Dennis, B., Jenkins. E. QC, Sumnall, C., Douglas-Jones, B., & Lloyd, D. (2016). Blackstone's Guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Oxford University Press, Incorporated.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2013). Draft Consumer Rights Bill: Government Response to Consultations on Consumer Rights.
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Dowuona-Hammond, C. (2007). The Evolution of Consumer Protection Law in Ghana: Developments since Independence, in Mensa-Bonsu HJAN et al, (eds) Ghana Law Since Independence: History, Developments and Prospects (pp.337 -372). Accra: Black Mask Ltd.
Dowuona-Hammond, C. (2018). Consumer law and policy in Ghana. Journal of consumer policy, 41(4), 333-354.
Dowuona-Hammond, C., Raymond Atuguba, R. and Nabila, L.D. (2006). 'The Policy and Legal Framework for Consumer Protection in Ghana', A report submitted to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).
Electronic Transaction Act 2008, Act 772, Ghana.
El-Gendi, M. (2017). The Consumer Rights Act 2015: A One Stop Shop of Consumer Rights. QMLJ, 8, 83.
Financial Institutions (Non- Banking) Law 1993, PNDC L328, Ghana.
Goode, R., Kronke, H., & McKendrick, E. (2015). Transnational commercial law: text, cases, and materials. Oxford University Press.
Hasnem Enterprise Ltd v Electricity Corporation of Ghana [1992] 2 G.L.R. 250.
Hire-purchase Decree 1974, NRCD 292, Ghana.
Howells, G., Twigg-Flesner, C., Bell, A., Canavan, R., Scholes, A. N., Parry, D., ... & Bradgate, R. (2010).
Consolidation and simplification of UK consumer law. London: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).
Jonathan Wren & Co Ltd v Microdec Ltd [1999] 65 Const. L.R. 157.
Kimber v William Willet Ltd [1947] 1 AII ER 36.
Koopmans, T. (1996). Comparative law and the courts. Int'l & Comp. LQ, 45, 545.
Long Term Saving Scheme Act 2004, Act 678, Ghana.
Manteaw, S. O. (2002). Entering the digital marketplace: E-commerce and jurisdiction in Ghana. 16 Transnat'l Law., 345.
Michaels, R. (2006). The functional method of comparative law. In R. Zimmermann and M. Reiman (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law (pp. 340 - 383). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Midland Bank Plc v Cox McQueen [1999] Lloyd’s Rep. P.N. 223.
Ministry of Trade and Industry, ‘Draft Consumer Protection Policy’ (2014)., Government of Ghana.
Nkansah, L. A. (2015). Consumer Protection in Ghana: An Appraisal of the Law. Joseph Ayo Babalola University Law Journal (2015), 2(1), 185-200.
Nkansah, L. A., Asare, J., & Otu, G. (2016). Dispute Resolution and Consumer Protection in Ghana. in R. F. Oppong & K. Agyebeng (eds.), A Commitment to Law, Development and Public Policy: A Festschrift in Honour of Nana Dr. Samuel Kwadwo Boaten Asante (pp. 295 – 310). London: Wildy Simmonds and Hill Publishing.
Perry v Sharon Development Co Ltd [1937] 4 AII ER 390.
Philips v William Whitley Ltd [1938] AII ER 566.
Ramsay, I. (2012). Consumer law and policy: Text and materials on regulating consumer markets. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994, UK.
Sale of Goods Act 1979, UK.
Sale of Goods Act, 1962 Act 137, Ghana.
Samuels, A. (2016). The consumer rights Act 2015. Journal of business law, (3), 159-185.
Smits, J. M. (2006). Comparative law and its influence on national legal systems. In R. Zimmermann and M. Reimann (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law (pp.514 - 539). Oxford University Press.
Stewart v Ravells Garage [1952] 1 AII ER 1191.
Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, UK.
Trebor Bassett Holdings Ltd v ADT Fire & Security Plc [2011] EWHC 1936 (TCC), [2011] B.L.R. 661.
Tsegah v Standard Chartered Bank (Ghana) Ltd [2001], unreported judgement of the High Court [Suit No. C.602/99].
Twigg-Flesner, C. (2009). Pre-contractual duties-from the Acquis to the Common Frame of Reference. R. Schulze, Common frame of reference and existing EC contract law, 2nd revised edition, Munich: Sellier.
Twigg-Flesner, C., Canavan, R., & MacQueen, H. (2016). Atiyah and Adams' Sale of Goods. Pearson Higher Ed.
Venture Capital Trust Fund Act 2004, Act 680, Ghana.
Yidana, N. (2019). Protecting consumers in Ghana: A comparative analysis of the quality requirements regarding the supply of goods to consumers in Ghana and the UK as influenced by EU law. unpublished thesis submitted to University of Hull for the award of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Law.
Yidana, N. (2020). The consumer in the midst of two distinct terms for the quality of goods in Ghana: Can the law be simplified? 94 Journal of Law, Policy & Globalization,168.
Yidana, N. (n.d.). The litmus test for the quality of goods in consumer contracts in Ghana: a reform proposal. Commonwealth Law Bulletin. Under review.
Zweigert, K. and Kötz, H. (1998). An Introduction to Comparative Law. Translated by Tony Weir. Amsterdam, New York, Oxford: North-Holland Publishing Co., 1977. Vol. I, xvii, 385 p.; Vol. II, xvii, 379 p. US $93.50. International Journal of Law Libraries, 7(3), 290-295.
Aborchie-Nyahe, I., Matthew, A. & Dadzie, I W. (2014). Research Report on the State of Consumer Protection In Ghana: A Review of Consumer Protection in the Mobile Telecommunication Sector in Ghana, A report submitted to Consumer International, OSIWA, Consumer Advocacy Centre 2014.
Andreas Bschor Gmbh & Co. KG v Birim Wood Complex Ltd & Birim Timbers Ltd [2016] GHASC, NO. J4/9/2015.
Asiama-Sampong, A. K. (n.d.). Country Report - Ghana [Resource Material Series No.67], The 128th International Training Course Participants’ Papers. Retrieved from https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No67/No67_21PA_Sampong.pdf. on 10/11/2019.
Atuguba and Associates v Scipion Capital (UK) Ltd. and Another [2019] GHASC 18, No. J4/04/2019.
Ayine, M. D. (2007). Pathways to development: Legal and Institutional Evolution of Ghana’s external trade sector since independence. In N. A. Josiah-Aryeh, A. F. Hammond, H. J.A.N, Mensa-Bonsu, C. Dowuona-Hammond, & K. Appiagyei-Atua (ed), Ghana Law Since Independence: History, Development and Prospects (pp. 309-336). Accra: Black Mask Ltd.
B&FT online (20th March 2018). Ghana also needs a Consumer Protection Law. retrieved from https://thebftonline.com/20/03/2018/ghana-also-needs-a-consumer-protection-law/ on 06/08/2020.
Bank of Ghana Act 2002, Act 612, Ghana.
Banking Act 2004, Act 673, Ghana.
Barak, A. (2007). Purposive interpretation in law. Princeton University Press.
Barclays Bank Plc v Weeks Legg & Dean [1999] Q.B. 309.
Baskind, E., Osborne G. and Roach, L. (2016). Commercial Law. 2nd eds: Oxford University Press.
Bolitho v City and Hackney Health Authority [1998] A.C. 232.
Bridge, M. G. (Ed.). (2017). Benjamin's sale of goods (Vol. 11). Sweet & Maxwell.
Carozza, P. G., Picker C. & Glendon, M. A., (2008). Comparative Legal Traditions in a Nutshell. 3d. West Academic.
Chitty, J. (2018). Chitty on contracts: General principles (Vol. 1 32nd edn). Sweet & Maxwell.
Competition and Consumer Protection Act, No. 29, 2014, Ireland.
Consumer Protection Act, No. 46, 2012 as revised in 2016, Kenya.
Consumer Protection Act, No. 68, 2008, South Africa.
Consumer Protection Policy 2014, Ghana.
Consumer Rights Act 2015, UK.
Consumer Rights Act 2015: Explanatory Notes.
Contract Act 1960, Act 25, Ghana.
CUTS, (n.d.). Ghana’s Consumer Protection Law is Long Overdue. retrieved from https://www.busac.org/downloads/policybriefs/CUTS2.pdf on 06/08/2020.
Dennis, B., Jenkins. E. QC, Sumnall, C., Douglas-Jones, B., & Lloyd, D. (2016). Blackstone's Guide to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Oxford University Press, Incorporated.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2013). Draft Consumer Rights Bill: Government Response to Consultations on Consumer Rights.
Dhamija v Sunningdale Joineries Ltd [2010] EWHC 2396 (TCC), [2011] P.N.L.R. 9.
Dowuona-Hammond, C. (2007). The Evolution of Consumer Protection Law in Ghana: Developments since Independence, in Mensa-Bonsu HJAN et al, (eds) Ghana Law Since Independence: History, Developments and Prospects (pp.337 -372). Accra: Black Mask Ltd.
Dowuona-Hammond, C. (2018). Consumer law and policy in Ghana. Journal of consumer policy, 41(4), 333-354.
Dowuona-Hammond, C., Raymond Atuguba, R. and Nabila, L.D. (2006). 'The Policy and Legal Framework for Consumer Protection in Ghana', A report submitted to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).
Electronic Transaction Act 2008, Act 772, Ghana.
El-Gendi, M. (2017). The Consumer Rights Act 2015: A One Stop Shop of Consumer Rights. QMLJ, 8, 83.
Financial Institutions (Non- Banking) Law 1993, PNDC L328, Ghana.
Goode, R., Kronke, H., & McKendrick, E. (2015). Transnational commercial law: text, cases, and materials. Oxford University Press.
Hasnem Enterprise Ltd v Electricity Corporation of Ghana [1992] 2 G.L.R. 250.
Hire-purchase Decree 1974, NRCD 292, Ghana.
Howells, G., Twigg-Flesner, C., Bell, A., Canavan, R., Scholes, A. N., Parry, D., ... & Bradgate, R. (2010).
Consolidation and simplification of UK consumer law. London: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).
Jonathan Wren & Co Ltd v Microdec Ltd [1999] 65 Const. L.R. 157.
Kimber v William Willet Ltd [1947] 1 AII ER 36.
Koopmans, T. (1996). Comparative law and the courts. Int'l & Comp. LQ, 45, 545.
Long Term Saving Scheme Act 2004, Act 678, Ghana.
Manteaw, S. O. (2002). Entering the digital marketplace: E-commerce and jurisdiction in Ghana. 16 Transnat'l Law., 345.
Michaels, R. (2006). The functional method of comparative law. In R. Zimmermann and M. Reiman (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law (pp. 340 - 383). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Midland Bank Plc v Cox McQueen [1999] Lloyd’s Rep. P.N. 223.
Ministry of Trade and Industry, ‘Draft Consumer Protection Policy’ (2014)., Government of Ghana.
Nkansah, L. A. (2015). Consumer Protection in Ghana: An Appraisal of the Law. Joseph Ayo Babalola University Law Journal (2015), 2(1), 185-200.
Nkansah, L. A., Asare, J., & Otu, G. (2016). Dispute Resolution and Consumer Protection in Ghana. in R. F. Oppong & K. Agyebeng (eds.), A Commitment to Law, Development and Public Policy: A Festschrift in Honour of Nana Dr. Samuel Kwadwo Boaten Asante (pp. 295 – 310). London: Wildy Simmonds and Hill Publishing.
Perry v Sharon Development Co Ltd [1937] 4 AII ER 390.
Philips v William Whitley Ltd [1938] AII ER 566.
Ramsay, I. (2012). Consumer law and policy: Text and materials on regulating consumer markets. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994, UK.
Sale of Goods Act 1979, UK.
Sale of Goods Act, 1962 Act 137, Ghana.
Samuels, A. (2016). The consumer rights Act 2015. Journal of business law, (3), 159-185.
Smits, J. M. (2006). Comparative law and its influence on national legal systems. In R. Zimmermann and M. Reimann (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law (pp.514 - 539). Oxford University Press.
Stewart v Ravells Garage [1952] 1 AII ER 1191.
Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, UK.
Trebor Bassett Holdings Ltd v ADT Fire & Security Plc [2011] EWHC 1936 (TCC), [2011] B.L.R. 661.
Tsegah v Standard Chartered Bank (Ghana) Ltd [2001], unreported judgement of the High Court [Suit No. C.602/99].
Twigg-Flesner, C. (2009). Pre-contractual duties-from the Acquis to the Common Frame of Reference. R. Schulze, Common frame of reference and existing EC contract law, 2nd revised edition, Munich: Sellier.
Twigg-Flesner, C., Canavan, R., & MacQueen, H. (2016). Atiyah and Adams' Sale of Goods. Pearson Higher Ed.
Venture Capital Trust Fund Act 2004, Act 680, Ghana.
Yidana, N. (2019). Protecting consumers in Ghana: A comparative analysis of the quality requirements regarding the supply of goods to consumers in Ghana and the UK as influenced by EU law. unpublished thesis submitted to University of Hull for the award of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Law.
Yidana, N. (2020). The consumer in the midst of two distinct terms for the quality of goods in Ghana: Can the law be simplified? 94 Journal of Law, Policy & Globalization,168.
Yidana, N. (n.d.). The litmus test for the quality of goods in consumer contracts in Ghana: a reform proposal. Commonwealth Law Bulletin. Under review.
Zweigert, K. and Kötz, H. (1998). An Introduction to Comparative Law. Translated by Tony Weir. Amsterdam, New York, Oxford: North-Holland Publishing Co., 1977. Vol. I, xvii, 385 p.; Vol. II, xvii, 379 p. US $93.50. International Journal of Law Libraries, 7(3), 290-295.