Pre-shipment inspection in Tanzania: practices and challenges

The study explores the practices and challenges of Pre-shipment Inspection in Tanzania. A total of 60 Importers from Dar es Salaam were selected. Data for this study were collected using a semi structured questioners. Descriptive analysis was carried out for quantitative data while explanation building was used for qualitative data presentation. The findings reveal that only three contractors (SGS, Bureau VERITAS and Intertek) are used in doing pre-shipment inspection in Tanzania by the importers who were interviewed. It was further most of the respondents (60%) were aware of the preshipment inspection practices. 73.3% of all the respondents were positive about the pre-shipment practices. It was disclosed that the importers as well face several challenges related high fees, variations in Pre-shipment inspection requirements. The study concludes that pre-shipment inspections are very pertinent for the international trade flows however if well among the stakeholders. Based on the findings of the study it is recommended that, pre-shipment inspection should be sensitised to eliminate waste and repetition in a very short time.