Maputo, 7 Jul (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo called on the heads of the newly created General Inspectorate for Food and Economic Security (IGSAE) to exercise rigorous oversight and ensure the protection of consumers’ rights.
According to Chapo – who was speaking on Monday at a ceremony in which he swore into office Shakila Mohamed as IGSAE Inspector General, as well as Célio Goca and Silvestre Panza as Deputy Inspectors Generals of the body – the creation of IGSAE is aimed at modernizing the State’s inspection system, strengthen consumer protection, and safeguard the national economy.
“The new inspectorate must coordinate its operations with other regulatory bodies to avoid the duplication of inspections and to reduce the costs and burdens imposed on economic operators”, he said.
However, he warned that “it makes no sense for an economic operator to be inspected every day, which, means that procedures must be simplified to improve the business environment and attract investment.”
“Oversight should not be viewed as a mechanism for generating revenue through fines, but rather as a tool for correcting irregularities, promoting legality, and strengthening trust between the State, economic operators, and consumers”, he said.
The President urged the inspectors to strengthen the fight against the sale of expired and counterfeit products by creating mobile brigades to operate in remote areas and informal markets.
“We also need to digitize inspection processes, improve food product traceability systems, and create a national database on economic and sanitary infractions”, he said.
Chapo added that the extinction of the National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) and the creation of IGSAE are part of the process of reorganizing and modernizing the State’s inspection system, with the aim of making oversight more integrated.
For her part, Mohamed said that as IGSAE Inspector General will ensure that the institution prioritizes actions aimed at defending consumer rights without turning regulatory oversight into a hindrance to economic activity.
“IGSAE will have the support of various state institutions, including the Attorney General’s Office, municipalities, and other relevant stakeholders as part of a cooperation strategy aimed at making the oversight of economic activity more effective”, she said.
Am/
