Importers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Imports Products Conformity Assessment to standard (IPCA) scheme that is currently under the management of Switzerland-based Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).

IPCA is a pre-shipment inspection process of all imports bound for Rwanda that is conducted in the exporting country to ensure the goods meet the applicable standards before they are shipped to the importing country.

The programme is geared towards eradication of poor quality products and to guard against dumping of fake goods on the local market.

However, importers are now claiming that the scheme is still plagued by inconsistencies, incompetence and bureaucracy, as well as lack of proper co-ordination between Rwanda Standards Board, the Rwanda Utilities Regulation Authority (Rura) and SGS.

"There is need to harmonise terms of agreement between SGS, Rura and the standards body. Sometimes when a supplier goes to SGS, they refer him to Rura even when the certificate of origin is not for electronics,” Rwanda Motor Parts’ Eugenie Mbabazi told Business Times. 

This causes delays and, ultimately, additional costs on businesses, Mbabazi added. This was during a workshop on IPCA organised by the Rwanda Standards Board in Kigali last week. The workshop attracted over 100 importers.

Dieudonne Musafiri, the Akagera Business Group imports manager, said there are still challenges with the pre-shipment inspection requirements.

"Some suppliers are not willing to provide us with test reports of products and yet SGS can’t clear you without these reports.

"It’s therefore imperative that   RSB resolves this problem,” Musafiri said.

Unharmonised inspection fees

Timothy Subika, the imports manager at SRB Investment Company, said there disparities in inspection fees.

"For instance, you find those importing consumable products are charged higher fees than those importing cars, which is unfair,” Subika said.

SGS blame importers

However, Hosea Kalisa, the SGS representative in Rwanda, said delays were caused by importers who do not sublimit documentations on time.

Kalisa said importers who submit all the necessary documents, including a copy of the proforma invoice, to SGS liaison office, and contact details of the exporter on time, never experience delays. In an earlier interview, SGS confirmed that interventions are taken depending on the nature of the products and may sometimes require physical inspection, sampling, product testing, factory audit or review documents.

Contracting more firms for the job

Meanwhile, Dr Mark Cyibahiro Bagabe, the RSB director general, said the standards board has opened up the scheme to more players, adding that they are currently receiving bids from qualifying inspection firms. Bagabe said this will help drive efficiency and the cost of doing trade.