Industries and market surveillance units

This unit conducts business outlets and industry inspection on quality compliance, regulation and standards requirements for Products, services and system.

Overview;

The objective of industrial products and processes inspection is to promote industry competitiveness by providing accurate conformity assessment services. With the aim of advising the operators on standards and regulatory requirements compliance the quality of finished products is enhanced thus competitive on both local and international markets.

Moreover, Market Surveillance activities build consumer confidence by identifying, tracking down and/or removing non-conforming goods, either before or after they are placed on the market. The market surveillance activities focus on both imported and locally manufactured products.

Key activities under this unit

  • Planning inspection activity on sector-targeted market surveillance for standards compliance and monitor services and product risk assessment;

  • Investigation on complaints received relating to substandard, counterfeit products and unfair trade crimes.

  • Sampling collection for quality control on suspected product gathering and evaluating market intelligence, and advising the industries on strategies to ensure compliance of products in the market;

  • Developing an awareness on product/service quality issues, consumers' rights and obligations.

  • Cooperation and collaboration with other government bodies and private sector agencies involved in product/service performance monitoring and trade promotion.

Legal frame work for industrial products and market surveillance

  • Market surveillance is conducted in compliance with law nº 31/2017 of 25/07/2017 establishing RICA determining its mission, organization and functioning especially in Art. 6 bullet 13, 16 and 18.

  • Moreover, Market surveillance is conducting in accordance with internal trade law (No 35/91 of 5/08/1991 supplemented by law No 15/2001 of 21/09/2012) and competition and consumer protection (Nº 36/2012 of 21/09/2012).

  • For regional integration, Market and industry inspection is carried out in accordance with East African regional harmonization of SMCA procedures and regulations, market surveillance in the East African Community is buttressed by Section 6 of the EAC SQMT Regulations 2013.