Bureau Veritas (BV), a French-based company, will start the pre-shipment inspection of imports next week, a company official has said.
by Fidelity Mhlanga
BV was in March sanctioned by the government to provide consignment-based conformity assessment (CBCA) services for four years to curb the proliferation of counterfeit products in the country.
The company’s vice-president Arnaud de Lamotte on Wednesday said for the past two months the company had been raising awareness on how to implement the new programme to various traders locally and internationally.
“We conducted an awareness campaign in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, India and China,” Lamotte said.
“We are left with Dubai and the United Kingdom. All campaigns went very well, We perceived some fears in some people, but it’s very normal since this is the first time we are introducing this programme in the country.”
Pre-shipment inspection services will be carried out on listed products in the country of exports. Certificates of conformity will be used and produced at the point of entry.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) would require production of such certificate to allow goods into the country.
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The BV vice-president said the company was liaising with the Industry ministry and Zimra to make final assessments before the implementation of the programme next week.
Lamotte said although the programme implementation would commence next week, May 16 to September 15 would be a transition period where exporters would be required to produce certificates of conformity.
The Group has about 66 000 employees in 140 countries. Lamotte said the company was offering similar services in Tanzania and Kenya accentuating that the two countries renewed the contract last week and in January respectively.
Bureau Veritas is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, delivering high quality services to help clients meet the growing challenges of quality, safety, environmental protection.
The government offered the company a four-year contract as a precursor to the establishment of Zimbabwe quality Standards Regulatory Authority.
The company is a world leader in trade facilitation services with more than 90 programmes operated in 30 years.
Apart from protecting consumers from substandard products, BV offers government services implementing trade facilitation programmes to secure international trade operations and maximise State revenues.
The company’s services will complement Zimra’s tax collection by providing a price assessment list of goods that will be endorsed on the certificate of conformity, thereby assisting the customs officers from undervaluing goods.
The French company offers innovative solutions that go beyond simple compliance with regulations and standards, reducing risk, improving performance and promoting sustainable development.
