Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) has established a Condom Testing Laboratory to carry out scientific and electronic testing to ascertain the condoms’ safety and quality.

According to the Deputy Director General of RBS, Patrice Ntiyamira, the laboratory will assess whether imported condoms meet quality standards.

"Condoms are categorised among safety products that must be tested; which is why we had to set up the lab. Initially, we were subcontracting Kenya to carry out the testing which is costly and causes delays, ” Ntiyamira said, adding that with the new lab, the country would save money.

He, however, acknowledged that there were some condoms entering the country without passing through proper channels.

"We want to ensure that all the condoms pass through proper channels and are tested. We are also looking at the possibility of sharing this expertise with some of the neighbouring countries. So far, we have held informal talks with some interested neighbours,” Nyiyamira added.

Recent statistics indicate that over 23 million condoms were distributed in the country last year. Among those, over 11.4 million were distributed under the public sector approach while over 12.1 million were distributed through social marketing.

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