INSIGHT: New quality checks for Dar-bound imports

Local industry is on the up and up, so Wananchi don’t really need to be importing every tiny little thing, do they? PHOTO | FILE 

By Frank Aman & Sturmius Mtweve, The Citizen 

 

In Summary

• Tanzania imports cheap and sub-standard goods such as vehicles, clothes, footwear, electronics and spare parts due to a gap that allowed the importation of used or second hand goods.

Dar es Salaam. Import and export stakeholders have been urged to utilise a new planning system - pre-shipment verification of conformity (PVoC) - to avoid the country being turned into a dumping ground for sub-standard goods.

The permanent secretary from the ministry of Industry and Trade, Ms Joyce Mapunjo, made the call recently during the launch of a stakeholders’ workshop organised by Bureau Veritas (VB) aimed at deepening awareness and understanding of the PVoC system.

Ms Mapunjo said Tanzania imported cheap and sub-standard goods such as vehicles, clothes, footwear, electronics and spare parts due to a gap that allowed the importation of used or second hand goods.

She said due to an increase in the number of small and medium enterprises in the country, at least 95 per cent of the products were manufactured in the country that meant there was a need for stakeholders to work together and understand the PVoC programme.

“PVoC have an overall control of illegally circulating counterfeit products and if we are serious we will be act to protect the rights of consumers in the country,” said the PS.

She added: “The workshop has been organised to ensure the country is having an access to quality products as a way forward towards setting the right direction for economic growth and development.”

Recently, Tanzania authorised three inspecting firms to start verifying imported products into the country.

They include the UK-based Intertek International Ltd, the Bureau Veritas Inspection, Valuation and Control from France and the Societe Generale De Surveillance S.A from Switzerland.

According to Tumaini Mtitu, the Tanzania Bureau of Standard (TBS) director of quality management, PVoC programme is important in ensuring that Tanzanians have access to genuine products in the local market.

“Our commitment to fight against counterfeits will also lead to greater protection of local industry players. The PVoC programme will empower both consumers and businesses alike in verifying the authenticity of key products,” Mtitu said.

For his part, BV Vice president Jean-Michael Marnoto said the action was a result of the agreement reached between the government of Tanzania and BV, the firm, which is well known throughout the world for inspecting imported goods.

According to him, the system under pre-export verification of goods will help curb all goods, which are below international standards, hence the move will also he
 

“It is for this reason that we are here today to ensure Tanzanians have unrestricted access to genuine products in order to move the economy to the next level,” said Mr Marnoto.