The Face of Truth | Dr. Ibrahim Shaglawi Standards.. The Economy of Chaos
Economic chaos may creep in through seemingly minor details: a cooking pot made from metal scrap, food produced using spoiled flour, and a scale that violates approved units of measurement. Yet, what brings these incidents together is not merely commercial fraud, but the widening gap between the law and the market, and the transformation of weak oversight into an opportunity to profit at the expense of citizens’ health and rights. Here, standards and metrology go beyond their technical function to become one of the tools for protecting the state and society.
In Sudan, where the war since April 2023 has reshaped the economy and livelihoods, this battle takes on exceptional importance. Pressures on citizens across all aspects of daily living have increased, while oversight and the regular functioning of markets have become more complicated, allowing some activities to exploit loopholes to achieve illicit gains. Thus, society pays the price of violations not only with its money, but also with its efforts, health, trust in institutions, and ability to restore stability.
The seizures carried out last week by the Trade, Supply and Consumer Protection Investigations Department, in coordination with the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization and the judicial and health authorities, reveal the seriousness of these practices. Random sites manufacturing cooking utensils from various metal scraps, including lead and aluminum, were discovered. A house in Al-Shajara neighborhood in Khartoum was also found to be used for producing pastries with spoiled flour prohibited for human consumption, in preparation for distribution to restaurants. The danger of these incidents lies in the fact that the violation does not remain confined to the production site; its effects may extend to citizens’ tables and markets.
The issue, therefore, goes beyond commercial fraud to encompass the right to safe food and secure consumption. Consumers do not always possess the technical means to verify the safety of what they purchase from markets. Therefore, their lives must not be left at the mercy of the conscience of a producer or trader. Hence, it is not enough to shut down violating factories; the sources of raw materials must also be traced, production and distribution chains monitored, technical inspection developed, and the law strictly enforced to prevent violations from recurring. A seizure halts the danger, but sustainable oversight addresses its causes.
Coordination among standards authorities, investigations departments, the prosecution, and health and environmental agencies is particularly important in building an integrated system for consumer protection. Accelerating procedures and expanding access to judicial services across the three cities of the capital may also strengthen the response to reports. However, the real test lies not in the frequency of coordination meetings and organized campaigns alone, but also in the institutions’ ability to close loopholes before harm occurs, hold violators accountable, and prevent punishment from becoming merely a cost borne by a business owner who then resumes the same practices.
Conversely, the reports that helped uncover a factory producing non-compliant aluminum utensils in Omdurman provide evidence of the importance of partnership with citizens.
An aware consumer is not merely a recipient of protection, but a partner in creating it, provided that effective channels for response are available and that the consumer sees a tangible impact from submitted reports. Even the campaign to confiscate pound-weight measures and compel traders to use the kilogram at Souq Sitta in Al-Haj Yousif, earlier this week, goes beyond correcting units of measurement to protecting fair transactions and preventing the manipulation of buyers’ rights. The state’s presence is also measured by its ability to enforce the law in the details of everyday life and people’s livelihoods.
At the international level, Sudan’s participation in the annual meeting of the International Organization for Standardization in Paris, its meetings with Russian, Saudi and Swedish standards bodies, and its engagement with the organization’s Secretary-General present an opportunity to strengthen cooperation, exchange expertise, and develop technical capabilities. Sudan needs not only to ensure the quality of products circulating domestically, but also to build confidence in its national production and create opportunities for its access to foreign markets. During the reconstruction phase, standards become part of the economic infrastructure required to improve production, support industry, facilitate trade, and attract investment.
From this perspective, the significance of celebrating World Standards Day on October 14, under the theme “A Shared Vision for a Better World,” extends beyond the occasion itself to linking quality with the Sustainable Development Goals and the protection of people and the environment. The challenge remains to transform this interest into a sustained policy based on developing laboratories, updating information, and strengthening proactive oversight, so that risks are detected before reaching consumers, rather than after harm has occurred.
The economy of chaos, according to #The_Face_of_Truth, cannot be confronted through campaigns alone, but through a system that narrows the avenues for violations and makes punishment a deterrent. Standards are not merely quality benchmarks; they are a line of defense for citizens’ health, market confidence, and national production. The battle is therefore broader than seizing non-compliant goods; it is a confrontation with the transformation of chaos into a source of profit. A state that fails to protect its citizens in the details of their lives will find it difficult to restore society’s confidence in its ability to recover.
May you remain in good health and well-being.
Friday, October 16, 2026
Shglawi55@gmail.com