Driving Consumer Protection and Trade Facilitation in the Central African Republic

Teaming up with the Central African Republic (CAR) government, SGS is at the heart of improved consumer protection in the country – providing speedier access to compliant trade through digitalization.

In November 2020, SGS was appointed on an exclusive basis by the CAR government to provide pre-verification of conformity (PVoC) services for imported goods with the support of its worldwide network of offices and laboratories. The program, which officially started in March 2021, provides verification and confirmation that products exported to the CAR are compliant with quality standards. When goods meet these requirements SGS issues a Certificate of Conformity (CoC). This CoC is required for customs clearance purposes, upon the arrival of consignments (by any means) in the CAR.

Work in progress

In order to strengthen the program, SGS is currently working with the government of the CAR. The main objective is to make the program more efficient and to contribute more to the protection of the safety and health of citizens. The outcome of this partnership will be communicated shortly and will be posted on the SGS website.

Digitalization

Like many other programs, digitalization is vital in order to constantly improve the quality of services, especially the timeliness of the certification process, from service request to CoC issuance. To speed up this process, all applications for certificates of conformity are made through the SGS Exporter Portal, our own secure web-based application, which enables customers to submit their requests online, 24/7, quickly and easily. In addition, the program benefits also from SGS QiiQ™. This tool is fully compliant with the ISO/IEC 17020:2012 standard, and allows for digital and remote inspection. The program also benefits from the improvements provided by eTrade, the platform recently implemented by SGS to facilitate and improve customer experience.

Certification routes

There are three routes to obtaining a CoC:

• Route A: for unregistered traders, and suppliers of manufacturers of sensitive goods
• Route B (registration): for registered suppliers of manufactured goods and for frequent exporters with homogeneous products
• Route C (licensing): for certified products from manufacturers and their authorized representatives

SGS is the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company whose value to society is enabling a better, safer and more interconnected world. We offer efficient and comprehensive solutions delivered by a dedicated team of experts to ensure your shipments meet CAR requirements.

Learn more about Central African Republic (CAR) – Pre-Verification of Conformity of Imported Goods.

This article can also be found in our PCA Newsletter (Q3/2023) – which keeps you up to date with developments in technical barriers to trade and product conformity assessment. 

Read more PCA articles (Q3/2023)

• How SGS Helps Make Your Products EAC-Ready
• SGS Helps Raise the Game for Egyptian Trade Compliance
• Speedy Access to Kenyan Markets With a Draft Certificate of Conformity

You can read more articles in previous editions of our PCA Newsletter Library.

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