The most expensive delay in an equipment project is not a late machine — it is a machine that arrived on time and cannot leave the port. These five documents are the difference.
A crusher is not a consumer good. Customs regimes across Africa treat heavy machinery differently from spare parts, and the rules have tightened in the last five years. The five items below should be agreed in the contract, not discovered at the port.
1 · SONCAP (Nigeria). The Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme. Machinery imports need a Product Certificate and a SONCAP Certificate issued through an accredited inspection body — which means the supplier must book and pass a pre-shipment inspection weeks before sailing. A supplier who has never exported to Nigeria will not know the SON product-code mapping; ask for a sample SONCAP certificate from a previous shipment.
2 · PVoC (Kenya). Pre-Export Verification of Conformity. Similar logic, different paperwork: an agent such as Bureau Veritas or SGS inspects and issues the Certificate of Conformity in the country of export. Without it, you face destination inspection, delays and re-inspection fees.
3 · TBS (Tanzania). The Tanzania Bureau of Standards requires PVoC-style conformity for regulated goods. The practical point: confirm early whether your HS classification is on the regulated list — it changes, and a supplier who shipped to Tanzania in 2022 may be working from an outdated list.
4 · SABS / LOA (South Africa). Letter of Authority approval against SANS standards applies to certain electrical components on the plant — switchgear, motors, control panels. A machine that is fine mechanically can still be held because its control cabinet carries non-LOA components. Ask the supplier which electrical brand families they fit and whether LOA documentation exists for them.
5 · Pre-shipment inspection certificate (most other markets). Whether or not a mandatory scheme exists, a third-party inspection — loading photographs, serial numbers, quantity and condition — protects both sides and is frequently demanded by banks opening letters of credit. Insist on it even for T/T terms.
Put four lines in the contract: the supplier is responsible for export-side conformity certificates; inspection is booked at the supplier's cost; documents are handed over before B/L issue; and delays caused by missing export-side paperwork are on the supplier. A manufacturer that ships to Africa routinely will sign all four without hesitation. Hesitation is the cheapest due-diligence test you will ever run.
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