Powerful boost for national lab testing
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA has made significant strides in strengthening its laboratory testing capacity, following substantial investments in modern equipment and advanced technologies at the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA).
According to Government Chief Chemist, Dr Fedelice Mafumiko, the investment in laboratory testing equipment has grown by 23.6 per cent—from 13.6bn/- in the 2017/2018 financial year to 17.8bn/- in the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Speaking at a meeting with editors organised by the Office of the Treasury Registrar (OTR) to highlight GCLA’s achievements under the Sixth Phase Government, Dr Mafumiko said the funding enabled the purchase of 16 large-scale machines and 274 smaller devices, greatly enhancing testing efficiency and service delivery.
“The purchase of this equipment has enhanced our laboratory testing capabilities and enabled the provision of better, faster and more reliable scientific services,” he said.
Dr Mafumiko noted that the number of samples tested has also seen an upward trend, rising by 21 per cent from 155,817 in 2021/2022 to 188,362 in 2023/2024.
Between July 2024 and May 2025 alone, the authority tested 175,561 samples—equivalent to 92 per cent of its annual target of 191,420 samples.
He attributed the growing volume of tests to increased public awareness and rising confidence among stakeholders in the quality, speed and reliability of GCLA’s services.
GCLA works closely with a range of regulatory and enforcement bodies, including the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Tanzania Police Force, health institutions, the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) and the National Environment Management Council (NEMC).
“These stakeholders rely on our services to verify the quality of their products and ensure compliance with health and safety standards,” Dr Mafumiko explained.
ALSO READ: Tanzania orders regions to construct honey-quality testing labs
The Chief Chemist further highlighted that GCLA laboratory results are now recognised both nationally and internationally, thanks to the authority’s implementation of two internationally accredited quality management systems— ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System), which has undergone four successful consecutive audits and ISO 17025:2027 (Laboratory Competence Standard).
GCLA has attained ISO 17025:2027 accreditation for six of its laboratories, namely Human Genetics, Microbiology, Forensic Toxicology, Environment, Mwanza Zonal Laboratory (Lake Zone) and the Food Laboratory.
“These are significant milestones that enable the authority to meet both legal and international quality standards,” he noted.
In addition to laboratory testing, GCLA is responsible for the regulation and oversight of chemicals in line with the Industrial and Consumer Chemicals (Management and Control) Act No. 3 of 2003, aimed at safeguarding human health and the environment.
Implementation of the law includes registering stakeholders, inspecting warehouses and chemical-use sites, border checks on imports and exports of chemicals and issuing permits for handling chemicals both domestically and internationally.
“In the past four years, the number of registered chemical stakeholders has increased from 2,125 in 2021 to 3,835 by June 2025 — an 81 per cent increase. We have streamlined the company registration process for chemical handlers,” said Dr Mafumiko.
To enhance efficiency, GCLA has also developed various in-house ICT systems, including the Customer Chemicals Management Portal (CCMP), which has reduced the time required to process permits from seven days to less than one hour.
Over the last four years, GCLA has contributed a total of 3.99bn/- to the government’s Consolidated Fund through revenue collection.
Looking ahead, Dr Mafumiko said the authority plans to further enhance its scientific testing services and ensure timely results by acquiring additional state-of-the-art equipment to keep up with evolving global standards in science and technology
