GSA Arrests Chinese Managers for Reopening Sealed Mattress Factory in Afienya
The Ghana Standards Authority has arrested managers of Chinese-owned mattress manufacturing company Jin Yuan Jia Limited after the firm allegedly defied a state closure order and secretly resumed operations at its factory in Afienya near Tema in the Greater Accra Region.
The arrests were carried out on Monday, May 18, 2026, during an enforcement operation led by officers of the GSA taskforce following intelligence gathered through market surveillance activities. According to reports, the factory had been officially shut down in October 2025 after regulatory investigations uncovered serious breaches of Ghana’s manufacturing and quality standards regulations.
Authorities said the company failed to secure the required operational approvals from the GSA and was also found to be producing mattresses that did not meet approved safety and quality standards after extensive laboratory testing on both raw materials and finished products.
Investigators further alleged that management of the company broke official GSA seals under the cover of darkness and resumed commercial production despite the closure directive still being in force. When the enforcement team stormed the premises on Monday, workers were reportedly found actively manufacturing mattresses using unapproved materials that had earlier failed regulatory tests.
The latest development forms part of a broader crackdown by the GSA on substandard mattress manufacturers operating within the Afienya industrial enclave. Earlier on the same day, the Authority shut down four mattress-producing companies accused of using unapproved and potentially harmful chemical compounds in the production of bedding products for the Ghanaian market.
According to the GSA, some factories were allegedly using polystyrene and unapproved polyethylene materials instead of polyurethane, the approved foam base for mattress production. Officials warned that the use of such materials could pose serious health and environmental risks to consumers, including respiratory complications, skin irritation and poor orthopaedic support.
Speaking during the operation, Greater Accra Regional Manager of the GSA, Mr. Clement Kubati, stressed that the Authority would not tolerate manufacturers who disregard national standards and endanger public safety for profit. He indicated that the crackdown demonstrates a tougher enforcement approach aimed at ensuring strict compliance with Ghana’s industrial and consumer protection laws.
The arrested managers are currently assisting police with investigations and are expected to face charges relating to the breach of regulatory directives and illegal manufacturing operations. The GSA has meanwhile assured the public that it will continue intensified inspections and enforcement exercises to prevent substandard products from entering the Ghanaian market.
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