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French Ambassador to Zimbabwe Laurent Dellahouse yesterday lauded the Zimbabwean Government for improving the business environment which has enabled the country to attract international firms, among them French companies. The diplomat was speaking as Bureau Veritas, a French firm, opened its offices in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital.Government contracted the firm, which has been operating since early 2015, to help in the monitoring of standards for imported goods of a minimum value of $1 000 under a programme called Consignment Based Conformity Assessment (CBCA).

Ambassador Dellahouse said implementation of the CBCA programme was critical to protect consumers from risky and poor quality goods.

“Our opening today shows that Zimbabwe is a serious country, is a player on the global market and that the government of Zimbabwe is willing to do what it takes to attract foreign companies and to improve the conditions of the market in Zimbabwe both for investors and for consumers,” the French diplomat said.

“This consumer protection approach is very important and will improve with the CBCA programme.”

Two more French companies involved in yeast making and archiving of materials have partnered Zimbabwean firms in the past year.

Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said since Bureau Veritas began operations last year, the standard and quality of imports had improved.

The agency, which is working in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the Standards Association of Zimbabwe, has issued 6 004 certificates to importers, 58 percent relating to compliance and 42 percent to non-compliance.

“Generally, it has been observed that most certificates were issued on imports coming from South Africa, constituting 75 percent followed by China and the rest of the world,” Minister Bimha said.

Under Statutory 132 of 2015 which deals with control of goods under the general import license, goods in 12 categories are required to go under the CBCA programme.

These include food and agriculture, building and civil engineering, timber, petroleum and fuel, packaging material, electronic appliances, body care, automotive and transportation, clothing and textile, mechanical appliances, engineering equipment and toys.

“The government of Zimbabwe embarked on this programme in an effort to put in place measures to protect consumers and to address the substandard imports which were now flooding our market,” Minister Bimha said.

Bureau Veritas vice president, Arnaud De Lamotte said Zimbabwe had registered tremendous progress than most countries in which it operates in the firm’s first year of operation.

“You have done much better in one year than some countries have done in five to 10 years,” he said.

Founded in 1828, Bureau Veritas is famed for its proficiency in a number of areas.

The group, which employs over 60 000 globally, specialises in eight business areas which include government services and international trade, certification, consumer products, industry and construction. – New Ziana