Bureau Veritas, a global leader in testing inspection and certification, began its Government Services Roadshow on Tuesday, February 20, in Zimbabwe Harare, focusing on the Consignment Based Conformity Assessment (CBCA) Programme, which had a product list extension announced by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce late in 2023.
According to Harrison Muchenga, head of sales and marketing for Government Services at Bureau Veritas: “The workshops are aimed at empowering exporters with the knowledge and tools necessary to meet international quality and safety standards, thereby enhancing export capabilities and fostering economic growth in the region.”
Country-specific lists of goods are being added to Zimbabwe’s CBCA Programme and to Botswana’s SIIR Programmes, and Bureau Veritas’ roadshow workshops serve to provide updates about what is happening in other countries across Africa, from Nigeria to Gabon, Algeria and Ghana – “pretty much the entire continent”, Muchenga says.
He said the list of products subjected to verification continues to change because of Africa’s ever-developing trade environment.
“We know that in the export market, quality has become a buzzword.
“Everyone is talking about quality products, upselling their exports, increasing the need to do counterfeit checking before exports leave countries of origin.
“In terms of set measures, how sure are we that the products that are being exported are subjected to the requirements to ensure they are safe for end-users in the countries they are exported to.”
“They engage organisations like us that have a presence in over 140 countries with a very clear instruction: ‘Before goods leave the country of origin, can you check that they meet the necessary import requirements to prevent unnecessary holdups once goods reach the country of destination.’
“Without our product list extension workshops, traders run the risk of getting goods flagged as not meeting import requirements.”
The roadshow kicked off on February 20 at the Cresta Sango Hotel in Harare, and will be followed by another in Zimbabwe, at the Cresta Churchill Hotel in Bulawayo.
Next up are three workshops in South Africa, starting in Johannesburg on February 27 at Emperors Palace.
- Stakeholders in trade are invited to register for the roadshow workshops here: www.bureauveritas.africa/roadshow_2024
