Maputo, 17 Oct (AIM) – Over 70 per cent of the products sold in various stores based in Maputo City are counterfeit, according to the National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE).
According to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Jorge Jairoce, who was speaking on Monday in Maputo, at a ceremony marking World Standardization Day, 800 complaints were reported in the first half of 2023 alone, with the majority of cases being related to the poor quality of products, especially electronics.
“In order to eliminate the sale of counterfeit products, the government will soon launch the Imported Products Conformity Assessment Programme, which aims to assess the conformity of products at points of origin before they are exported to Mozambique”, Jairoce said.
According to Jairoce, the aim of this programme is to reduce the proliferation of fake and sub-standard products, a situation which poses a threat to the environment, public health and safety, as well as to consumer rights.
“The implementation of this programme will also allow quality products to circulate in the country and reduce unfair competition, which are fundamental factors for the competitiveness of the private sector, attracting investment and making a greater contribution to the country’s industrialization”, Jairoce added.
According to Jairoce, from October last year to this date, 36 companies have been certified by the National Institute for Standardization and Quality (INNOQ), compared to 29 in the same period last year, representing an increase of 24%.
“In the same period, eight products were also certified, compared to four in the same period last year, representing a 100% increase”, he said.
These results, Jairoce claimed, would not have been possible without the engagement of the private sector and its commitment to quality.
For his part, the Deputy Chairperson of the Confederation of Mozambican Business Associations (CTA), Prakash Prehlad, said that for developing countries such as Mozambique, where around 98% of the business fabric is made up of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, with relative exposure to global markets, access to services such as standardization or certification is an essential tool for conveying the credibility of their products and services.
For Prehlad, standardization or certification is one of the requirements demanded by multinationals in their contracting for goods and services, and constitute a permanent challenge for the business sector.
“However, despite these benefits, namely access to new markets, it can be seen that many companies are not fully aware of the role of standardization in facilitating transactions, reducing costs, accessing new markets, guaranteeing production quality and fluidity in the sale of products and services”, he said.
(AIM)
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