Government boosts TBS consumer protection capacity

DAR ES SALAAM: THE government investment in the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has strengthened consumer protection, product quality and manufacturers’ competitiveness.

The Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade Dennis Londo said recently during a visit to TBS headquarters in Dar es Salaam that the sustained investment has transformed the standards regulator into a key institution supporting industrialisation through modern laboratories and quality assurance systems.

“TBS plays a critical role in protecting the health of Tanzanians while ensuring consumers receive value for the money they spend. It is an indispensable partner within the Ministry of Industry and Trade,” he said.

The deputy minister toured the agency’s laboratories, where he observed advanced equipment used to test products and enforce national quality and safety standards.

Mr Londo described TBS as a strategic partner in the government’s industrial development agenda, saying the agency safeguards public health while ensuring consumers receive value for money by keeping substandard products off the market.

He urged manufacturers and entrepreneurs to seek TBS certification, noting that some businesses still avoid obtaining the quality mark because they mistakenly believe the process is costly or time-consuming.

Mr Londo said the government is implementing President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directive to make TBS services more accessible, particularly to smallscale entrepreneurs, women and youth.

He said the agency has expanded outreach programmes by providing training and, in some cases, government-funded certification to help emerging businesses comply with quality standards and access wider markets.

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TBS Director General Dr Ashura Katunzi said substantial investment in laboratory infrastructure has significantly enhanced the agency’s capacity to verify the quality and safety of locally manufactured and imported products.

She said the laboratories have been equipped with modern analytical equipment worth billions of shillings, enabling TBS to conduct sophisticated testing more efficiently.

“Our laboratories have received substantial investment. The food analysis laboratory alone contains equipment worth at least 5bn/-, while machinery in one laboratory section is valued at about 10bn/-,”

Dr Katunzi said. She said the upgraded facilities have improved the speed, accuracy and reliability of testing, strengthening TBS’s ability to detect unsafe, counterfeit and substandard products before they reach consumers.

Dr Katunzi said the investment also supports industrialisation agenda by enabling manufacturers to certify products that meet national, regional and international standards, improving export competitiveness while reinforcing consumer confidence in locally produced goods.