TANZANIA – Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Arusha and Dodoma have been challenged to manufacture quality products as the country gears towards a semi-industrialized economy.
The Arusha Regional Commissioner John Mongella emphasized the value of creating high-quality goods as the nation strives to create a semi-industrialized economy by 2025 while presenting licenses to enterprises who had met the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) quality requirements.
“Getting there entails manufacturing goods and products that would stay relevant in a competitive market,” he said as he handed over licenses and tested product certificates to 113 SMEs.
According to Mr. Mongella, products from Tanzania have high chances of competing in the global market as long as they get a clean bill of health.
“It is for this reason that you shouldn’t be taking these certificates for granted,” he insisted.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering an environment that allows SMEs to prosper.
In a similar vein, the Regional Commissioner exhorted the standards watchdog to uphold their legal obligation.
Tanzania aspires to achieve semi-industrialization by 2025, a goal that requires manufacturing to contribute at least 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the country’s overall economy.
In order to accomplish this, the nation wants to move away from being dominated by the exploitation of natural resources and extractive industries and toward an economy with a broad and diverse base of manufacturing, processing, and packaging industries that will be at the head of both the productive and the export trade sectors.
Prior to that, Lazaro Henry Msasalaga, director of quality management at TBS, told the regional commissioner that the organization would continue to give top priority to promoting standardization, safety, and quality assurance in business and industry through standards development, certification, and registration.
“Our primary duty is to ensure that all products get inspected and certified before they reach end users,” he explained.
In order to improve service delivery, he also urged businesspeople to register their locations.
In a similar event in Dodoma, the Dodoma Regional Administrative Secretary Mr. Ally Gugu said issuance of certificates and quality mark standards to manufacturers gives assurance to consumers that the goods were produced in a safe and hygienic environment.
“The government through TBS will make sure important information on quality and safety of the goods are made available on time and low-quality goods are removed from the market,” he added.
Mr. Gugu asked TBS to continue providing education when conducting inspections at businesses and marketplaces to ensure that product standards are being upheld.
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