Govt to reinforce standards, boost market, increase jobs

By The guardian reporter

Dr Abdallah Kigoda, Minister of Industry and Trade

The government has announced plans to enforce quality of products and services across all industries in the country and particularly in the manufacturing sector.

The resulting increased producer competiveness, says the government, will see more quality products enter the market and new jobs created.

Minister of Industry and Trade Dr Abdallah Kigoda was speaking over the weekend ahead of the World Standards Day that in Tanzania is being commemorated today. The event takes place annually on or around 14th October.

Minister Kigoda explained that to win local and international markets, then producers will be forced to improve their services and products to beat the competition and ‘‘…by embracing quality and improved productivity then labour intensive sectors like manufacturing enterprises we will also create more jobs,” Kigoda explained.

He pointed out that enforcing standards and subsequent producer’s compliance will bare economic benefits in testing, environmental quality assessment, health, safety issues, conformity assessment covering most all industries, from mining to agriculture, engineering to architecture and particularly, export and import.

“Let us use the World Standards Day 2013 event to mark the adaption of a culture in which both the private and public sectors seek positive change,” he said.

Dr .Kigoda said the importance of standards cannot be over emphasize noting that already there are consensus documents aimed at ensuring fitness for purpose, interchangeability, compatibility, consumer safety and health.

Others are environmental protection, better utilisation of resources, better communication and understanding, transfer of technology and removal of trade barriers, to mention but a few.

Underlining that standards play critical roles in the citizenry’s daily lives the Acting Director General of Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) Joseph Masikitiko, said the aim of the Standards day is to raise awareness among regulators, industries and consumers as to the importance of standards to the global economy.

Highlighting the theme, “Standards ensure positive change” Masikitiko said: “The theme has a direct link to the situation in the country simply because when we discuss issues of standards, we advocate for positive change for both manufacturers and consumers alike,”

He underscored the fact that TBS is the sole custodian of standards in the country and applauded their efforts noting that it has been striving hard to educate the public on the importance of standardization in various the industries.

In turn, they have caused a change of attitude especially when it comes to manufactured products which means secured market for the quality products.
“When you talk of standards it means quality as well as reliable markets for the finished products,” he said.

Trade experts say it is an undeniable fact that substandard products have adverse effects to manufacturers as well as consumers and the nation’s economy at large.

To the manufacturers, the effects include inefficiency and inability to compete in local and international markets forced out by the cheap substandards and/ or fakes.

To consumers, substandard products affect their health and safety while to the nation substandard products affect the economy and the environment. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN