CBCA Under Review: Calls Grow for Reform of Zim:s ...

CBCA Under Review: Calls Grow for Reform of Zim:s Import Quality Control Scheme

Audrey Galawu- Assistant Editor

Zimbabwe’s Consignment-Based Conformity Assessment programme—once hailed as a critical tool to curb the flood of substandard imports—is now under scrutiny, as stakeholders question its implementation, cost burden, and impact on trade competitiveness.

Introduced in 2015 and operationalised in 2016, the CBCA was designed to protect consumers and support compliant local industries by ensuring all goods entering Zimbabwe meet minimum quality and safety standards.

At its core, the programme mandates that importers obtain certificates of conformity from contracted international firms such as Bureau Veritas before goods can be cleared at the border.

However, a recent Regulatory Impact Assessment commissioned by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has exposed growing dissatisfaction with the scheme. According to the National Competitiveness Commission, the framework—while rooted in sound regulatory intentions—has created a new set of challenges for importers, regulators, and local manufacturers alike.

The RIA, which benchmarks Zimbabwe’s CBCA against regional and global conformity assessment practices, found that the programme has significantly increased costs for businesses. These include pre-shipment inspection fees, administrative delays, and penalties for technical non-compliance.

“The cost of compliance is too high, especially for small and medium enterprises,” one importer noted in the survey. “You’re punished even when your goods meet the standards, just because of paperwork issues.”

The report also pointed to a lack of transparency in the enforcement process, raising concerns that inconsistencies in inspections and certification may open the door to corruption and rent-seeking behavior.

Moreover, the CBCA’s rigid structure does not account for regional mutual recognition agreements, placing Zimbabwean traders at a disadvantage within the Southern African Development Community and African Continental Free Trade Area frameworks.

The RIA explored three possible policy options: doing nothing and reverting to pre-CBCA conditions; maintaining the current CBCA system; or replacing it with a domestic laboratory-based quality control mechanism.

While the current CBCA program was deemed preferable to an unregulated import system, the analysis showed it still falls short in promoting efficient trade and reducing consumer risk in a sustainable manner.

Experts recommend that Zimbabwe digitise CBCA processes, decentralise services, and consider aligning the programme with regional standards to enhance compliance and reduce trade bottlenecks. There are also calls for broader stakeholder engagement and more targeted education for importers to prevent unnecessary losses and product seizures.

Proponents of the programme argue that despite the friction it has introduced, CBCA remains necessary to combat a surge in counterfeit and substandard imports that have previously harmed consumers and weakened local producers.

“Before CBCA, the market was flooded with poor-quality goods—brake pads that failed, expired food, and fake electrical components,” a local manufacturer shared. “It’s not perfect, but CBCA has helped clean that up.”

Still, critics maintain that reforms are urgently needed. “We need a CBCA 2.0,” said one policy analyst. “One that’s digital, transparent, regionally integrated, and responsive to business realities.”