AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Bureau of Standards (TBS) has appealed to small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) to abide by quality standards for their products to penetrate local, regional and global markets.
Speaking during a ceremony to hand over licences, tested products and management system certification to 177 manufacturers, including 88 SMEs that had attained certificates of quality mark TBS Director-General, Dr Athuman Ngenya, said the certificates and licences handed over were in food and cosmetics products, construction materials, lubricants, hand sanitisers, electrical appliance, mechanic equipment, mattresses and packaging materials.
He said TBS had been granting licences to manufacturers who had met required procedures after every 90 days.
“The government provides free certification services for three years for SMEs that have been granted a mark of quality licence under a special programme,” he said.
Dr Ngenya noted that it had been decided to support SMEs so that they could grow their businesses and promote the industrialisation agenda initiated by the government a few years ago.
All SMEs that have got their licences and others through a programme established by Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) received free certification services for three years.
He noted that the government had established the programme to enable SMEs to produce quality goods and expand the market of their products.
He urged SMEs and other interested persons to utilise the opportunity, especially during this time when the government had been laying emphasis on building the industrial economy.
He said once they certified their goods it would help produce sustainable products which would be sold anywhere, including regional markets such as SADC.
Dr Ngenya explained that TBS aimed at supporting traders to conduct their activities for the benefit of Tanzania without interfering legal affairs.
He also noted that 2,139 premises and 533 food and cosmetics products had been registered between July and September this year.
Dr Ngenya said the registration of premises and food and cosmetics products started last year after TBS took over TFDA’s role.
“We are now dealing with food and cosmetics, it is illegal for a trader to import unregistered food or cosmetics or even their premises should be registered, “he said.
Dr Ngenya said also that registration involved cafes, food vans, food stores and cosmetics. He urged traders who wanted to continue or engage in businesses to contact TBS before embarking on it.
Speaking on behalf of SMEs, one of the entrepreneurs, Ms Salama Kabanda, said a journey to access a quality mark licence was long, but simple.
It was simple because we got full cooperation from officials of Tanzania Bureau of Standards since the start of the process, she said. She urged TBS to continue helping SMEs to realise their dreams in quality issues.
“You have to continue helping us so that all SMEs can help the government realise its industrialisation agenda,” she said. Ms Kabanda also asked SMEs to promote solidarity among them. “We have to help each other, abandon bias to reach our goals particularly the market,” she said.
She advised SMEs to adhere to quality because it played a crucial role in their development and that of the nation.
“I ask fellow entrepreneurs particulary those who did not apply for a quality mark of licence to do so for their own benefits,” she said.
She thanked SIDO for supporting her goals that enabled her to get the licence free of charge.
“I attended various training workshops offered by SIDO before getting the licence free of charge. I urge others to do so,” she explained.
