Conformity assessment in Gabon extended

Recently, the Conformity Assessment Programme PROGEC in Gabon has been extended to cover almost all imported product categories. 

The Conformity Assessment Programme PROGEC (Program Gabonaise d’Evaluation de la Conformité) was first introduced by the Gabonaise standards authority (Agence Gabonaise de Normalization – AGANOR) in May 2016 and it covered initially only certain product groups. 

Since 16 September 2020, all imported goods except food have been made subject to the conformity program. The minimum value for deliveries has been reduced from 3,000 euros to a goods value of 1,000 euros. 

Before the import, inspection companies accredited by the Gabonese government check whether regulated products comply with the applicable standards and technical regulations and confirm this with a certificate of conformity, which is mandatory for the import clearance. 

The Gabonese PROGEC Programme belongs to the so-called pre-export verification of conformity programmes (PVoC) which are a common tool used in many African countries to ensure the conformity of imported products.