Tanzania’s 99 percent of weighing devices verified in 2024/25
DODOMA: THE Ministry of Industry and Trade, through the Weights and Measures Agency (WMA), verified a total of 1,013,859 measuring instruments during the 2024/2025 financial year, accounting for 99.2 per cent of its annual target of 1,022,342 devices.
This was revealed on Tuesday by the Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Selemani Jafo, while tabling his ministry’s revenue and expenditure estimates for the 2025/2026 financial year in Parliament.
Dr Jafo said out of the inspected instruments, 10,898 were adjusted after minor faults were detected, while 761 were rejected for failing to meet accuracy standards.
He said WMA has maintained its oversight role in inspecting pre-packaged goods at border points and ports through its 13 verification stations located in Sirari, Mtukula, Namanga, Holili, Tunduma, Tarakea, Horohoro, Kasumulu, Kwara, Bagamoyo, Manyovu, Mbweni, and Temeke.
The agency also carried out verification of petroleum products and edible oil quantities entering the country through the Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara ports. Over the past four years, a total of 30.6 billion litres of fuel carried by 546 vessels were verified, including volumes for both domestic consumption and regional exports.
Moreover, the Minister said WMA verified 958,593.2 metric tonnes of gas offloaded by 210 ships for local use.
To improve service delivery and enhance cooperation with other government institutions, Dr Jafo noted that the agency established five new regional verification centres — Kinondoni, Temeke, Ilala, Misugusugu (Pwani), and a specialised unit for inspecting pre-packaged goods entering the country as well as a Port Inspection Unit.
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“These efforts have brought verification services closer to the people while strengthening collaboration with local government authorities,” he said.
Additionally, WMA has set up five new inspection centres at border regions, increasing the total number of verification stations on the mainland to 13.
“These centres aim to ensure declared quantities of goods entering the country are accurate,”he said.
During the past four years under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, a total of 3,410,663 instruments have been verified. Of these, 102,969 required adjustment and 5,607 were rejected.
The types of instruments most frequently inspected include fuel dispensing pumps, gas cylinder volume measures, market and retail weighing scales, construction material measures, aggregate truck weighbridges, fertiliser and agro-input packaging volumes, large fuel storage tanks, fuel tanker loading meters, and weighbridges for heavy vehicles and buses.
On public education, the Minister said the Ministry has produced 75 newspaper articles, 120 graphics, and 62 short videos on WMA’s functions. Additionally, the agency has utilised its website and social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to enhance public awareness, along with a toll-free number (0800110097) for customer service.
Dr Jafo further said the government has sustained inspection of pre-packaged goods at ports, borders, and 108 industrial locations.
As of March 2025, WMA continued to inspect products at its 13 stations, including Sirari (Mara), Mtukula (Kagera), Namanga (Arusha), Holili (Kilimanjaro), Tunduma (Songwe), Tarakea (Kilimanjaro), Horohoro (Tanga), Kasumulu (Mbeya), Kwara and Bagamoyo (Pwani), Manyovu (Kigoma), and Mbweni and Temeke (Dar es Salaam).
Inspected products included timber, seeds, cooking oil, soap, milk, fruits, sugar, toothpaste, salt, alcoholic beverages, fertilisers, construction materials, gas, wires, and bottled water.
