The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Upper East Regional Office has imposed a GH¢25,000 fine on Madam Perpetual Akurugu, a pregnant woman, for promoting unregistered aphrodisiacs and body enhancement products on TikTok. She marketed these unapproved items, stored in kitchen cabinets at her residence in Yorogo, a suburb of the Bolgatanga Municipality. The FDA's monitoring extends beyond physical marketplaces and shops to include traditional and digital media platforms for illegal advertisements of unregistered or unsafe products.

Mr. Abel Ndego, the Acting Regional Head of the FDA in the Upper East Region, personally discovered the offending video during one of his late-night social media monitoring routines. He noted that Madam Akurugu was speaking Gurune, a local language, which drew his attention. Upon visiting her page, he realized she had been consistently advertising unregistered and potentially harmful products. Mr. Ndego immediately downloaded the videos, shared them on the Authority's regulatory platform, and instructed officers to act swiftly.

A team from the FDA subsequently traced Madam Akurugu to her residence, where they discovered the products neatly arranged in her kitchen cupboards. All products were retrieved, and she was arrested. Mr. Ndego confirmed that despite her pregnancy, the law would still take its course to ensure she does not repeat the offense, emphasizing the FDA's commitment to upholding regulatory standards.

Mr. Ndego stressed that social media has become a growing channel for spreading misinformation and illegally promoting numerous unregistered items, particularly aphrodisiacs and enhancement products, via platforms such as Facebook and TikTok. He reiterated that as regulators, the FDA is mandated to monitor these platforms to ensure all information and products comply with the law. Citing the Public Health Act 851 of 2012, Mr. Ndego reinforced that the FDA's core mandate is to protect public health and safety by ensuring all products meet the required regulatory standards. He assured that the Authority would continue to strengthen its surveillance efforts to keep the Upper East Region as one of the most compliant regions in Ghana, emphasizing, “We are leaving no stone unturned.”

In a separate enforcement exercise, FDA officers, led by Regulatory Officer I, Mr. Jiah Jiato Juah, conducted an inspection of shops within the Bolgatanga Municipality. The team raided “Malbas Body Essentials and Cosmetics,” a newly opened store in Soe, where they found unregistered aphrodisiacs and enhancement products displayed for sale. Despite the shop owner’s pleas of ignorance, all unregistered products were confiscated. Mr. Juah stated that these items were clearly unregistered and confirmed that such enforcement actions, including routine unexpected inspections, would continue without prior notice to deter offenders and rid the market of unapproved products. He also mentioned that offenders would be guided through the registration process, with products subjected to laboratory analysis to ensure public safety.