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.