Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority has disclosed that bleaching creams have been banned from entering the country, since January this year. This was revealed when Agency’s Chief Executive Officer appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, to assist in queries leveled against them by the Auditor General on Public Accounts of Ghana for the year 2015.

Speaking at the sitting of the Committee, Chief Executive Officer of FDA Delese Mimi Darko stated that the bleaching agent in creams, hydroquinone, has been banned from imported cream products. She told the Committee that FDA has taken that standard and implementing it fully.

She confirmed that since January, 2017, no product is registered with hydroquinone in it. Ms Darko noted that FDA has had meetings with all the importers of creams and has told them what the new standard is and the fact that it is already in force. The head of FDA stressed that they have also met with cosmetic sellers in markets about the decision and that the FDA is working with all stakeholders to ensure that these products are not sold to the public.

Ghanavibes reported that the deadline to the sellers to clear any products with the agent in them was last year. However, the Chairman of the Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, was worried about the damage being caused by the products in the system. Ms Darko, further assured the Committee that FDA is in control regulating what is on the market. She also maintained that the Authority is no more allowing such products into the country. As per the new policy, Ghana will in the near future be a bleaching-free society, she assured.