TANZANIA Bureau of Standards (TBS) has signed an agreement with TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) worth 9bn/- to help traders do business basing on standards for easy access to the market.
Speaking after inking the deal, TMEA Country Resident, Ms Monica Hangi said the agreement targets to ease business and solve challenges caused by business impediments and non-tariff barriers.
She said it is difficult for traders to sell goods if they have not met the required quality standards.
“We are here to sign the agreement as way to put more efforts in making sure that business people do business in friendly environment,” she said noting the efforts are geared towards addressing challenges facing cross border trade growth.
She said business people in Tanzania are still facing challenges of adhering to standards largely due to poor understanding and high costs of doing business.
Ms Hangi said these challenges are the bottlenecks that reduce business people’s capacity to explore and penetrate regional and global markets.
Despite the challenges, TBS has been one of stakeholders in supporting business people and has shown the ability to bring tangible results in various projects supported by TMEA.
“Therefore, I urge TBS to continue collaborating with TMEA to make sure that this project delivers and meet the expectations,” she noted.
On his part, TBS Director General, Dr Yusuf Ngenya thanked TMEA for the efforts geared at enhancing efficiency in the supervision and implementation of two standards, namely the obligatory and optional.
He said TBS will continue to provide all necessary support in the implementation of the upcoming projects for the benefits of the country’s economic development.
“Having better standards and quality infrastructures is of paramount importance towards the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.