‘Africa no longer a dumping ground for sub-standard imports’

Long gone are the days when substandard
goods could just be dumped
in Africa. In fact many countries
have come a long way in bringing
legislation up to standard in order to
address the many loopholes, which
saw a relentless avalanche of substandard
and expired goods sprung on
local markets.
According to Thomas Andrews,
business development manager for
Intertek, a third party inspection
company operating across the
globe, Africa has come into its own
and is gradually putting an end to
dysfunctional standards.
“In countries such as Kenya,
Uganda and Nigeria all products
imported are measured against a
very clear set of guidelines in what
is called the Pre-Export Verification
of Conformity (PVOC) to Standards
Programme. This means products
must be verified in the respective
exporting country to ensure that
consumers are receiving safe and
quality goods.”
With the large demand for
imported goods many African
countries, including the likes of
Tanzania, Angola and Swaziland, are
implementing stricter standards for
imports.
Andrews says it is important that
products conform to a local but also
internationally accepted standard of
safety.
“This means products undergo
a physical inspection prior to
shipment followed by sample
testing in accredited and approved
laboratories.”