Dr. Mary Gordon Muortat, the Executive Director of the Bureau of Standards - Credit | Michael Daniel/Eye Radio | May 11, 2022

The National Bureau of Standards says it is sensitizing the business community to avoid the importation of substandard goods to South Sudan.

According to the Bureau of Standards, some businesspersons are still importing goods that do not meet the regional level, into South Sudan.

Mary Gordon Muortat is the Chief Executive Officer of the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards.

She has advised businessmen and women to ensure the goods imported into South Sudan meet the regional standard.

“Our mandate as the Bureau of Standard is protecting the consumers from consuming what is not right,” Mrs. Mortat said.

“So, we are trying to train our traders, create awareness to the traders that go to the market in another country, buy things that are quality, don’t buy things that are not quality but our business community are looking more for the price not for the quality.”

It is not the first time that government officials have raised concerns over the importation of poor-quality and expired goods into the country.

In September last year, an official at the Ministry of Trade said substandard goods were being smuggled into the country at night when South Sudan border officials are off-duty.

This was despite the June 2022 authorization of four companies to carry out pre-export verification and conformity of goods and products shipping.

The contracted foreign companies were to ensure that imported goods meet the requirements of the technical regulations and applicable standards.

The National Bureau of Standards is a body tasked with increasing the transparency of import and export procedures as well as to improve the quality of products produced or imported.