SAZ-ZimTrade sign MoU

signed in recognition of the need to enhance the productive sector’s capacity to produce competitively and benefit from the growth in international trade by producing products and services that comply with high quality and technical standards.
The MoU will see the two partners jointly create awareness on quality requirements for market access; assist producers to comply with quality requirements and to advocate for policies that promote sustainable and cost- effective market access. Growth in international trade will be achieved through the implementation of the MoU that will function as a means of achieving more formal and close co-ordination of standards development and related activities between the SAZ and ZimTrade.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, SAZ director-general Mrs Eve Gadzikwa highlighted that the MoU will enhance collaboration between SAZ and ZimTrade, and offer comprehensive services to exporters, enabling them to comply with market requirements.
ZimTrade chief executive officer Ms Sithembile Pilime pointed out that today’s global markets were demanding total compliance to high quality and technical standards.
“Consumers have become aware of environmental and health issues, and are now demanding products that meet accepted international standards ,” she said.
They want to be assured that the production process does not compromise the environment and the health of workers,” she said.
Ms Pilime said where a company fails to comply with environmental as well as health and safety standards the company had little chance of either penetrating export markets, which are very competitive, or of retaining existing market share.
The MOU came out of the realisation of the importance of standardisation in providing confidence to consumers through the quality and reliability of goods and services they import.
The MOU followed a workshop held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in June 2011 entitled “Linking Trade Promotion Organisations (TPO) and National Standards bodies (NSBs) for Export success”.
Cooperation between TPOs and NSBs has been highlighted as major solutions in improving international competitiveness of exporters.