Signs that African trade is sprouting

A growing demand for agricultural and other inspection services points to a healthy upswing in the economic growth of states to the north of South Africa. “We are in the process of strengthening our team and footprint in Mozambique and are opening an office in Beira to handle the increasing volumes of agricultural, commercial and mineral product inspections,” says Global Inspections Group (GIG) executive chairman Stefan Sakoschek. The office will also service exports and imports into neighbouring countries which are routed through the Beira gateway. GIG performs various preshipment Inspections (PSI) and Verification of Conformity Inspections (VOC) in Southern and Eastern Africa, as well as loading/offloading supervision, quantity and quality control and various other commercial inspections. Of particular interest to GIG are the rising volumes of agricultural commodities and related products. “GIG offers a complete range of services that help manage risk, ensure quality and protect the product as agricultural commodities make their way through the supply chain.” Sakoschek believes that the ever-increasing international market where companies are exporting and importing products on a daily basis has established the need for loading and offloading supervision to confirm the quantity and quality of the goods transported and shipped. “At a local level, the supply and demand of specific products also requires these services on a smaller scale for bulk or containerised loads,” says Sakoschek. The planned office in Beira will help the company maintain these standards as the demand grows, he added. GIG is an accredited inspection agency. It handles the quantity and quality management of all agricultural, commercial and metals and minerals commodities predominantly being imported and exported through the Maputo and Beira ports. CAPTION Stefan Sakoschek … helping to manage risk, ensure quality and protect the product.