‘Improve quality of products’
THE continuous improvement in the quality and number of Zimbabwean products in the export market is envisaged to assist the country to fully participate in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as this will allow local producers to compete competitively with regional players, Bureau Veritas has said.
The AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of ‘Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want’ and provides a framework for increased regional production and exports.
By eliminating barriers to trade in Africa, the objective of the AfCFTA is to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy.
Bureau Veritas has been appointed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Zimbabwe to provide conformity assessment services to regulated goods in exporting countries under the Consignment Bases Assessment Conformity (CBCA) programme.
The Government has implemented three new CBCA programmes, in order to reduce hazardous and substandard imported products and improve customs duty collection.
Bureau Veritas Zimbabwe and Botswana contract manager Mr Tendai Malunga recently told Business Chronicle during the recently held Mine Entra that CBCA programme is an enabler in terms of increasing standards for locally produced goods.
He said this enhances the quality of goods produced not only for the local market but for the exports.
“We are quite encouraged by the quality of exhibitions and the quality of products and services being exhibited at this year’s Mine Entra. We have been participating for the past nine years and we are seeing good continuous dynamics in terms of the number of exhibitors and the wide range of goods and services being exhibited.
“We are witnessing a lot of interest from the region from as far as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
“They have an interest in meeting and respecting the compliance requirements for accessing the Zimbabwean market, so I think this is a key forum especially in the aspect of the AfCFTA which is going to promote intra African trade.
Mr Malunga added that Zimbabwe needs to enhance the level of quality of the products produced to guide against influx of imports.
During a tour of exhibition stands at the recently held Mine Entra, President Mnangagwa applauded the quality of products on display saying it demonstrates a high level of innovation embraced by the mining sector, which is critical for its growth. —chronicle
