Tanzania’s adherence to internationally recognised weights and measurement standards is strengthening confidence in locally produced goods and helping businesses compete more effectively in global markets, the Weights and Measures Agency (WMA) has said.
WMA Geita Regional Manager Eva Ikula said the use of accurate and standardised measurements was a critical but often overlooked factor in building trust between Tanzanian producers, traders and international buyers.
Speaking to journalists at the WMA pavilion during the ongoing East African Business and Trade Exhibition at Furahisha Grounds in Mwanza yesterday, Ms Ikula said Tanzania’s use of the International System of Units (SI) ensures that measurements used in the country are consistent with those applied in major international markets.
“Our kilogram is the same kilogram used in Kenya, India and Germany. That is the strength of using accurate measurements,” she said.
She said consistency in measurements gives international buyers greater confidence when purchasing Tanzanian products, particularly where contracts and transactions involve commodities traded by weight or volume.
Ms Ikula explained that a standard kilogram or litre measured in Tanzania carries the same meaning as one measured in other countries that use the international system.
“When a contract is signed in London, Beijing or Johannesburg, they know that a kilogram measured in Tanzania is the same as a kilogram measured in their country,” she said.
The WMA official said the agency was stepping up public education campaigns to encourage traders and manufacturers to embrace accurate measurements and ensure consumers receive the quantities they pay for.
“Accurate measurement is the passport for your product to enter any market in the world,” she said.
She added that effective enforcement of measurement standards was not only about protecting consumers from being under-supplied, but also about creating a business environment where Tanzanian products could earn and retain the confidence of international markets.
“WMA is not concerned only with kilograms and litres; we are building trust,” Ms Ikula said.
“When we sell using accurate measurements, we sell with integrity. And the world respects those who trade with integrity.”
The East African Business and Trade Exhibition, which opened on August 28, will run until September 6, 2026, at Furahisha Grounds in Mwanza.
The exhibition is being held under the theme “Peace and Security as a Catalyst for Trade and Investment.”