WMA tightens checks to drive industrial growth
DODOMA: THE Weights and Measures Agency (WMA) will strengthen inspections of industrial raw materials and finished products to ensure compliance with measurement standards, in a move aimed at improving product quality and competitiveness in domestic and international markets.
The agency will also intensify checks on packaged goods and educate small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the use of verified measuring equipment to support implementation of the Sustainable Industrial Development Policy 2025 and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Policy 2003, 2025 Edition.
WMA Chief Executive Officer Alban Kihulla said this in Dodoma on Wednesday during the launch of the two policies, noting that the agency would work with manufacturers to ensure raw materials received by factories were accurately measured using verified equipment, including weighbridges, oil storage tanks and fuel dispensers.
Mr Kihula said WMA would also inspect packaged products to verify that their actual weight and volume matched the quantities indicated on their packaging.
The inspections, he said, would help improve the competitiveness of locally manufactured goods in international markets and contribute to the objectives of Development Vision 2050.
“The main objective is to make products manufactured in these industries competitive in the international market as well as in our regional market,” he said.
He added that WMA would verify products sold according to length and thickness to ensure they met established measurement standards.
ALSO READ: Misugusugu WMA increases its inspection capacity from 8 to 60 tankers per day
On the SME policy, Mr Kihula said the agency would continue educating entrepreneurs on the importance of using verified measuring instruments in accordance with the Weights and Measures Act.
Traders and small-scale producers using weighing scales, volume-measuring instruments and length-measuring devices were required to ensure their equipment was verified to guarantee accuracy in commercial transactions.
“Promoting verified measurements in trade and packaging will protect both businesses and consumers, strengthen confidence in transactions and support fair competition,” he said.
The Sustainable Industrial Development Policy 2025 seeks to boost manufactured exports by expanding industrial production, targeting a 15 per cent contribution to GDP from the manufacturing sector over the next 25 years. The revised SME policy complements this ambition by strengthening links between small businesses and large industries, promoting local production and increasing value addition.
