MOGADISHU (Halbeeg) – For the first time in 28 years, Somali government revived its quality control body in a bid to prevent mediocre products from entering the country and verify goods to the applicable standard.
Since the collapse of the Central government in 1991, markets in Somalia have not been regulated; this has resulted the country to become a booming market for counterfeits of different products including food products.
Speaking to the media, Somali Minister for trade, Mohamed Hayir Maraye said the country is reestablishing Somali Quality Control Agency.
“We are revving the Quality Control Agency which will check and fight hazardous and substandard imported products in the country,” Mareye said.
He said the agency will help country inspect the quality of imports and exports products in a move to guard against importation of harmful products and implement quality assurance standards.
The ministry has also hinted that within the new enterprise, products intended to be exported to Somalia would be inspected by the agency prior shipments in the country of export, and upon verifications certificated would be issued for the consignment.
The development is seen as the first sign in enforcing rule and regulations in the horn of Africa nation where the absence of a relevant legal and regulatory framework to common standards and quality were missing since the collapse of the central government in 1991 after warlords overthrew the government led by Mohamed Siad Barre
In 2015 the government appointed PGM, a Turkish Inspection company at the port of Somalia for Verification of Conformity (VoC) of products before entering the country of export to other countries.
The business community has long enjoyed free business with no taxations and quality control, leading to a wild flow of merchandise imports including mediocre commodities that health experts said have led to the deaths of many consumers in the past two decades.
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