African markets up their import standards

In a bid to protect local
industries, African countries
are becoming increasingly
more stringent about
import and export rules and
regulations around product
conformity and standards.
“If they do not comply with
the legislation, exporters
run the risk of having their
goods rejected at the country
of destination,” said Fred
Thom, business manager for
inspection, verification and
certification company, SGS.
He told FTW that there
was still “a lot” of resistance
by importers and exporters
to comply with the various
regulations but that the
risks associated with noncompliance
were growing. “It
is extremely important not to
skip any of the steps,” he said.
“Yes, there is a cost to
it – imposed by the relevant
country’s regulatory
authority – but the cost of
non-compliance, resulting in
delays or loss of a potentially
lucrative market, is much
higher,” Thom pointed out.
SGS, which operates a
global network of 1 650 offices
and laboratories around the
world, offers a full product
conformity assessment (PCA)
solution which ensures that
specific products meet the
requirements of the technical
regulations and
standards of an
importing
country.
Thom
explained
that this
included a
thorough review
by SGS product
specialists
through various
verification
activities such as
laboratory testing,
physical inspections and
factory audits. Once the
product passes the PCA
process, SGS issues the
standard certificate of
conformity, a document that
is mandatory for customs
clearance.
“This prevents unsafe, substandard
or counterfeit goods
from being imported and
helps government authorities
to enforce legislation,” said
Thom, adding that this
facilitated trade and helped
importers benefit from a
faster customs clearance
process.
SGS provides PCA
services to a number
of African and
Middle Eastern
countries,
including
Algeria,
Botswana,
Burundi,
Egypt,
Ethiopia,
Kenya, Kuwait,
Niger, Nigeria,
Qatar, Rwanda,
Saudi Arabia and
Tanzania.
“Our service advantage
is our well-established global
presence and experience as
well as our international
information technology
systems which fast-track the
certification and verification
processes,” Thom said.