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Lab complex to improve trade performance—govt

 

Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Joseph Mwanamvekha yesterday said government is hoping for an improved trade performance in the wake of the construction of the K12.4 billion Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) modern standards laboratory complex.

Speaking in Blantyre on the sidelines of the project’s supervision, Mwanamvekha said the complex will help to improve Malawi’s competitiveness on the global market.

Mwanamvekha (R) tours the construction site
Mwanamvekha (R) tours the construction site

The laboratory is expected to be completed in February 2018 and will provide companies with internationally-accredited testing services, reducing the need for re-testing, re-inspection and re-certification of their goods abroad.

“Malawi will benefit in terms of trade facilitation in that we will be able to export more because as a country, we have been failing to do so because our goods have been of low standards and quality,” he said.

MBS director general Davlin Chokazinga said currently, the country’s products are expensive on the international market because businesses add the cost incurred during certification to their cost of production; hence, reducing competitiveness.

In January, Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) said exporters are currently facing many glitches when accessing international certification with products of local companies declared unfit. n

 

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