TANZANIA – The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has formally announced the launch of the National Quality Awards (NQA) competition for the years 2022–2023 as it strives to raise the caliber of domestic goods to match international standards.

The competition will be divided into five subcategories including best company of the year, best service of the year, best seller of the year (international) and award to the best individual who did well on issues related to quality standards.

The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr. Aristides Mbwasi, recently briefed reporters in Dodoma and stated that the competition aids in the development of high-quality infrastructure in the sector.

All of the aforementioned categories, in his opinion, will be divided into two primary groups: large-scale corporations and small-scale companies.

According to Mr. Mbwasi, the quality policy was recently prepared by East African countries and ratified by the government as a means of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).

As a result, competition was established to create local products of high quality and expand into that market and beyond.

He claimed that the government uses competition as an incentive to enhance the goods and services produced in the nation and ensure that they comply with all international standards.

“Due to the ongoing trade revolution across the bloc and continental wise, it’s a good idea that we should have a mechanism to establish our position in the market, and that could be successful if our goods and services are of high standard,” he said.

In addition, Mr. Mbwasi revealed that the competition winners would receive a financial award, but that the main perk would be the opportunity to market their winning product in national and international market forums.

“The winners will not only have a chance to make their product to be known here in Tanzania, those winners will secure a chance to represent Tanzania in East Africa Quality Award and SADC Quality Award, which could enable their products to penetrate far in the international market,” he noted.

The 2022–23 national awards are anticipated to advance the business sector through the incursion of product and service quality, as suggested by TBS Director General Dr. Yusuf Ngenya.

“In the contemporary competitive market, it is not easy to prohibit or limit the movement of goods and services due to existing agreements under World Trade Organization (WTO).

“All products are free to move as long as they meet set standards, so if we want our product to penetrate those markets we should have embraced the culture of high-quality products,” he urged.

The contest is run by TBS, Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO), TPSF, Zanzibar Bureau of Standards (ZBS), TCCIA, CTI, Tan Trade, and Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce and is open to competitors from both the mainland and Zanzibar (TWCC).

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