Exporters to Gabon May Now Need Certificates of Conformity before Shipping Goods

GABON – The Central African government will launch the country’s new Conformity Assessment Programme on the 5th July and the Agence Gabonnaise de Normalisation (AGANOR) has appointed Intertek as Sole provider of Certificate Services to support the programme known as Programme Gabonais d Evaluation de la Conformité (PROGEC) which will control the import of regulated products into the country. Exporters to Gabon should ensure that goods which require certification undergo proper evaluation prior to shipping.

The PROGEC programme verifies the conformity of all regulated products in the respective exporting countries, ensuring they comply with applicable national, regional or international standards and technical regulations, protecting the health, safety and environment of Gabon’s citizens from sub-standard imported goods.

The new programme will commence this week and exporters to Gabon are required to provide a Certificate of Conformity for Customs clearance and this will be compulsory from 1st October 2013. This certificate can only be obtained from Intertek. David Gregory, Vice President of Intertek's Government and Trade Services said:

"We are delighted to be working with AGANOR in supporting them with the implementation of this highly crucial PROGEC and participate in improving consumer safety in Gabon. Having introduced the very first conformity assessment programme over 18 years ago, Intertek has the required experience and expertise to provide the authorities with this technical service, and exporters to Gabon, with rapid and excellent certification, inspection and testing services. Intertek's global services network, located in over 100 nations, supports this programme, helping the AGANOR to ensure products imported from around the world are delivered in good order to the people of Gabon.”

All the information you need on how to apply for a Certificate of Conformity for Exports to Gabon can be found within the Exporter and Importer Guidelines. If you have any questions on the requirements for the new PROGEC you should contact your local Intertek Country Office. You can also download Intertek’s advice on trading with Gabon HERE and complete Intertek’s request for certification HERE.