Electric, electronic and renewable-energy equipment are increasingly present on the Ivorian market. Côte d’Ivoire Normalisation (CODINORM) is in charge of approving these pieces of equipment, with the help a decree issued by the Ivorian government.
Some materials including electric, electronic and renewable-energy equipment can be imported in Côte d’Ivoire only after obtaining a certificate. This is indicated in the decree 2016-1152 of 28 December 2016 that makes some regulatory standards mandatory.
Once on the Ivorian territory, these materials need to be certified before their commercialisation. This certification is carried out in accordance with the procedure set by Côte d’Ivoire Normalisation (CODINORM). A Certificate of Compliance is issued at the end of the process. The certificate has a validity period of two months. 24 hours are the processing time of the applications for certification, provided that all required documents have been submitted. CODINORM requires the following documents for the certification of electric, electronic and renewable-energy equipment:
• A duly completed application form for a certification of compliance
• The equipment data sheets
• The certificate of analysis of the equipment
• The import declaration form
• The marine bill of lading and the packing list
• The commercial invoice
• The Cargo Tracking Note (CTN)
• The anticipated import declaration
• The certificate of compliance of the supplier when necessary
It should be pointed out that from March 1st 2018, the importation of equipment intended for the Ivorian market will depend on an inspection. The inspection will be performed by one of the four organization chosen by the government to certify the compliance of the imported equipment. These organization are INTERTEK International, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), Bureau Veritas Inspection Valuation Assessment and Control (BIVAC BV), COTECNA Inspection.
Part 5 of the Law N°2013 of 23 December 2013 on standardization and quality normalization lays down sanctions for all those who will not comply with the regulation in force in Côte d’Ivoire. These sanctions include the prohibition of sale, the seizure of equipment, the destruction or the payment of a fine according to the severity of the misconduct.
This decree taken by the Ivorian authorities reinforces the legal arsenal available to the country for fighting against counterfeit products. The involved manufacturers of equipment are invited to be more careful about the manufacturing process of the equipment quoted above in order to avoid being sanctioned or denied access to the Ivorian market.