Maintaining A Standard of Products To Secure National Interests
In order to import or produce goods of the required quality there needs to be a specific set of standards; for in the absence of standards a country becomes a dumping ground for outdated and unreliable products. To prevent such a phenomenon, the presence of the Eritrean Standards Institution is of the utmost importance in boosting the country’s economy and protecting the interests of the customer.
According to the Head of the Eritrean Standards Institution, Mr. Alem Araya, the organization carries out studies at different intervals to verify the quality of imported goods and ensure the competitiveness of domestic products. The organization also inspects weights and scales used commercially so as to protect the interests of the customer. “We inspect all the imported goods upon entry to the country and we assign them a certificate of quality. We also conduct general studies on domestic products and provide certificates of quality on a factory or industry level,” Mr. Alem added.
Eritrean Standards Institution has four different departments including quality control, meteorology and laboratory services, through the combined efforts of which a product is given a specific certificate of quality. According to the Head of the laboratory department, Mr. Kale Bokhredingil, this department’s task includes examining the quality of manufactured goods produced both inside and outside the country. In addition to the two branches in Massawa and Asseb, the laboratory department also has three subsections in Asmara, namely the engineering, analytical and micro laboratories. “The procedures we follow in examining and providing a certificate of quality for a specific product are approved by international standards. Hence the role of the laboratory department is instrumental in providing the required detailed information about a given product so as to determine its quality,” Mr. Kale added.
Regarding the complaints that some exporting firms don’t sometimes accept the quality rating given by the Eritrean Standards Institution, Mr. Alem said that there have been instances where imported goods are sent back due to failure to meet set standards. “Often when goods are returned back for lack of quality, most producers usually say that the products must have been damaged during transportation and not because they were inferior to begin with. But we can only inspect the goods when they reach our shores,” he elaborated.
As part of the efforts to upgrade its human resources, the organization provides training on purchasing of metal and metal products, quality control procedures, cement production, statistical analysis and others. Considering the effectiveness of such trainings, the organization plans to continue to provide training to its members at a larger scale. To further boost work efficiency and precision, the organization also plans to introduce modern laboratory equipments.