The
Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has issued over 50 new business
licenses to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in a move to improve
business environment and enable Tanzanian products reach foreign
markets. Of the SMEs, 47 of them were those licensed under local standards, while
six getting foreign standards and seven others having extensions.
Speaking during the licenses handover on Friday this week, TBS Acting Director General, Joseph Maskitiko urged all SMEs to register themselves with Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) to have free license access. “We want to promote our products to allow them meet international standards. This will ensure wider market for our products and enable the country attain economic growth” he said. Maskitiko warned unregistered SMEs not to evade the TBS license inspections exercise because doing so will result into severe punitive measures as per the Act of 2009.
He reminded license holders of harbouring fake goods saying such goods need to be cleared from the market at their own costs before the TBS cleanup operation exercise kicks off. For his part, the new licensee from Masasi Food Industries, Zacharia Charles recommended TBS to set up annual fees in accordance with one’s capital and prices of his products.
Charles said, for instance, there was too much fee on low priced small bottled drinking water which in return denies profit to producers. He also advised TBS to first provide education and awareness to SMEs before seizing their products. Hellen Kobelo, also a new licensee from Morogoro Soft Drink, criticized the application procedures saying it was time consuming. “It takes up to two years to get the license from the time of application. We incur a lot of expenses in the course of license application including transportation due to lack of TBS upcountry branches” she said.
However, Maskitiko said the institution is on the way to open zonal offices in Mwanza and Arusha in this financial year that will be followed by Dodoma, Mtwara and Mbeya. He said the standard body also expects to open branches in various border posts including Lusumo in Kigoma, Mtukula in Kagera and Kasumulo in Mbeya Regions in order to control and supervise incoming imports. “We have already started offering education to SMEs to enable them register their products because most of them blame on the lack of markets while their products are not registered” he said.
Speaking during the licenses handover on Friday this week, TBS Acting Director General, Joseph Maskitiko urged all SMEs to register themselves with Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) to have free license access. “We want to promote our products to allow them meet international standards. This will ensure wider market for our products and enable the country attain economic growth” he said. Maskitiko warned unregistered SMEs not to evade the TBS license inspections exercise because doing so will result into severe punitive measures as per the Act of 2009.
He reminded license holders of harbouring fake goods saying such goods need to be cleared from the market at their own costs before the TBS cleanup operation exercise kicks off. For his part, the new licensee from Masasi Food Industries, Zacharia Charles recommended TBS to set up annual fees in accordance with one’s capital and prices of his products.
Charles said, for instance, there was too much fee on low priced small bottled drinking water which in return denies profit to producers. He also advised TBS to first provide education and awareness to SMEs before seizing their products. Hellen Kobelo, also a new licensee from Morogoro Soft Drink, criticized the application procedures saying it was time consuming. “It takes up to two years to get the license from the time of application. We incur a lot of expenses in the course of license application including transportation due to lack of TBS upcountry branches” she said.
However, Maskitiko said the institution is on the way to open zonal offices in Mwanza and Arusha in this financial year that will be followed by Dodoma, Mtwara and Mbeya. He said the standard body also expects to open branches in various border posts including Lusumo in Kigoma, Mtukula in Kagera and Kasumulo in Mbeya Regions in order to control and supervise incoming imports. “We have already started offering education to SMEs to enable them register their products because most of them blame on the lack of markets while their products are not registered” he said.
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