By ABDULKADIR KHALIF

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Somalia’s standards body has asked importers to acquire certificates of conformity before bringing goods into the country’s territory, part of a move to abide by global quality requirements for trade.

A memo by the Somali Bureau of Standards (Sobs), the agency responsible for standards, metrology and conformity assessment, said companies or individuals involved in imports business   will from now on be required to attach proof of conformity.

“The Somali Bureau of Standards, inform all companies, partners, traders (importers, international organizations, UN and all humanitarian agencies) and the Somali community that imports various goods, from all ports, borders as well as airports (country entry and exit points) to acquire the Certificate of Conformity (CoC).

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Imports that do not meet the applicable requirements and are not accompanied by the mandatory CoC will be subject to penalty, effective as of September 1, 2023.

The same notes informed all interested parties that SOBS recently administered CBCA (Consignment Based Conformity Assessment) programme.

“The (CBCA) programme is implemented in the exporting countries to verify compliance of products with relevant standards and approved specifications,” Sobs further informed.

On July 22, Somalia’s Minister for Commerce and Industry Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi launched an implementation ceremony for the consignment-based conformity assessment between Sobs and Bureau Veritas, a UK-based company dealing with protecting consumers against dangerous, substandard or counterfeit goods through verification of conformity.

“The CBCA is essential for Somalia to ensure that the goods imported into the country meet the required standards and regulations,” Abdi said then.

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Somalia’s move also readies the country for entry into various global standards on quality of imports. The country is due to join the East African Community, having already received a favourable assessment from the seven-member bloc that includes Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.