The Ceremony was organized by SOBS, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Bureau Veritas.

Somalia Bureau of Standards (herein referred to as SOBS) is a national agency mandated to promote standardization in industry and international trade through standards, metrology, and inspection within Somalia. SOBS is responsible for the adoption and application of standards for both imported and domestically manufactured products in Somalia.

The Ceremony was attended by  Ministers of Trade and Industry, MPs, High Committee of SOBS, Deputy Director of SOBS , Directors of the Ministries, Director of the National Communication Agency, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Somalia, Army, Clerics, Community Organizations, some of the business and other guests. Also in attendance during the event was Bureau Veritas Sales and Marketing manager, Ali NOOR and the Global CBCA director, Vincent TRAVERS who joined virtually.

The Minister of Trade and Industry XFS MP Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi, opened the ceremony and was accompanied by the deputy manager of the Somali quality protection agency Mrs. Suuban Abdi Nur Gaas who spoke at the opening ceremony. She said that the importance of this agreement is how to protect the health, safety and environmental protection of the Somali nationals and mentioned the partnership between SOBS and Bureau Veritas to implement the 5 year CBCA program. This programme will also play a big role in boosting local revenue, business development, economic growth and community confidence in the quality of products in the country, she mentioned.

During this ceremony, interventions from different stakeholder emphasized the importance of conformity and  the mandatory application of the program. Importers and Exporters were urged to comply with the program to avoid penalties . All Government agencies reiterated on the authorities’ commitment to oversee and support the implementation of the CBCA programme and exuded confidence in the success.