Ethiopia will open its first petroleum product testing laboratory in Dire Dawa in the coming weeks, the Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise said, strengthening domestic capacity to verify the quality of imported fuel and lubricants.

The facility will assess whether petroleum products entering the country comply with nationally mandated standards, according to the enterprise’s Director-General, Engineer Meaza Abera, who spoke to Gazette Plus. She said the laboratory is intended to provide closer and faster service to importers, manufacturers and public institutions seeking quality verification.

Under Ethiopia’s trade standards regime, products subject to mandatory standards must be accompanied by certificates of conformity or test results from accredited laboratories before customs clearance. The new laboratory is expected to enhance local testing capacity in the petroleum segment, which has previously relied in part on external certification and third-party inspection arrangements.

Meaza said the centre has been equipped with modern instruments and staffed by trained professionals to conduct technical assessments in line with national specifications. The Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise is the public body mandated to carry out inspection, certification and laboratory testing of imported and locally produced goods under Ethiopia’s quality infrastructure framework.

The enterprise is also organising additional testing laboratories in Adama, Hawassa and Bahir Dar as part of plans to expand conformity assessment services in key regional cities.