Companies in the Hawassa Industrial Park have started the process for the export of personal protective equipment (PPE) after getting a green light from the Ministry of Health.

The plan to re-purpose the firms has been in progress since the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused setbacks for manufacturing and exporting. Doing so will keep the Park operational and allow it to retain its 35,000 employees. A majority of the 22 companies in the Park are prepared to start production by early June.

The companies will be producing reusable face masks, bio suits and surgical N95 masks with the capacity to make between half a million and three million PPE items a month.

The Ministry of Health, which initially prohibited the export of medical equipment in the interest of giving priority to health centres in the country, lifted the ban at the end of last month. In its letter to the Ministry of Revenues, the Health Ministry lifted the ban after taking into consideration the increase in the number of manufacturers in the country.

The companies in the Park are currently at various stages of production, according to Belay Hailemichael, the Park's manager.

Even though the Ministry gave the green light for the export of the products, the companies were not able to proceed with shipping since there were no standards for the certification of the products.

In the middle of May, the Ethiopian Food & Drug Authority issued its newest directive on standards for the certification, production and sale of cloth face masks and made a trip to assess the companies last week. The directive also aims to decrease the public's use of medical face masks designated for health professionals in an effort to make the gear more available for the health sector.

The criteria for the certification of the face masks will be based on their filtration efficiency, breathability resistance and hydrophobic nature. The masks must also be free from medicine and biological materials on areas where they make contact with the wearer's skin.

The certification process for producers of face masks includes having a designated room for the production of the face masks, aerosol and moisture-free production and storage rooms. Regularly disinfecting the rooms and making sure they are free of pests is also required. The manufacturer must also hire a textile engineer, a chemical engineer or a professional who works in textiles.

Companies that are approved will receive a temporary production license that will remain active for the duration of the state of emergency, after which the licenses will be returned.