Ethiopia’s new Trade Practice and Consumers Protection Authority organized under the Ministry of trade is to launch activities soon.
The authority is intended to safeguard the rights and privileges of consumers to inspect good and to enhance the efficiency of trade according to proclamation 685/2010 which formed it.
The authority is managed by Merkebu Zeleke under the title of Director General and overseeing a range of departments including those focusing on investigation, research, implementation, dissemination and an attorney general.
The authority has been functional since April and has conducted 15 workshops in which an estimated 5000 people took part in an effort to promote its mandate.The activities undertaken by the authority have been largely invisible to the public so far because it was in the process of organizing said Merkebu.
The authority has also been conducting for various agencies, like the police, which will eventually enforce its mandate he said.
The TPCPA have been able to assess the market for various manufactured products in collaboration with other governmental agencies assessing agricultural products according to Merkebu.
The main task for the authority at this point is to combat the problem of illicit trading by conducting opportunities to create awareness towards creating a more transparent trading system he added.
Source: Capital
