What is Radio Type Approval for Africa?
Products from the radio and telecommunications sector are among the most important imported goods on the African continent. Certification is required for numerous product groups from this sector. The Radio Type Approval ensures that the local regulations are met. Only properly licensed sellers and contractors are permitted to sell communications equipment in Africa. For this purpose, a type approval for each model that is to be sold must be obtained from the responsible authority.
The Radio Type Approval in Africa is necessary for a whole range of products, which you can find on the Relevant Components page.

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Radio Type Approval Africa – Certification process
There are several steps required to obtain type approval for your products. The standard certification process is as follows:
- Complete the application documents
- Submit supporting documentation, including
- A letter from the agent
- Samples
- Technical manuals (operation, programming, specification) in English
- User manuals in English
- Certificates of conformity from a regulatory authority or an accredited laboratory, test reports and results from the manufacturer or an accredited test laboratory; in English
- A valid copy of the agency’s license/compliance
- Examination of the test reports and technical documentation by the authority.
- Issuance of type approval or rejection notice
Country-specific requirements / authorities
The country-specific requirements and the validity of the Type Approval certificates are different for each African country. The responsible authorities and conditions for each country can be found in the following table:
Country | Authority | Type of Certification | Process | Validity license | Local Re-presentative required? |
Algeria | Agence Nationale des Frequences (ANF) / Telecommunications & Post Regulatory Authority | Mandatory | Sample Validation / Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 2 years | Yes |
Angola | Instituto Angolano das Comunicacoes (INACOM) | Voluntary; Recommended | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | No expiration date | Yes; must be the importer |
Ethiopia | Ethiopian Telecommunication Agency | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 2 years | No |
Botswana | Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 1 year | Yes |
Ghana | National Communications Authority (NCA) | Mandatory | Sample Validation / Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | No expiration date | No |
Kenya | Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | Provisionally 6 months, then permanently | Yes |
Congo, demo-cratic republic | Autorite de Regulation de la Poste et des Telecommunications du Congo (ARPTC) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 10 years | Yes |
Morocco | National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (Agence National de Reglementation des Telecommunications, ANRT) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 10 years | Yes |
Namibia | Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | 3 years | Yes |
Nigeria | Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | No expiration date | No |
South Africa | Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | No expiration date | Yes |
Tanzania | Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) | Mandatory | Leverage R&TTE/RED documentation | No expiration date | No |
Tunisia | Centre d’Etudes et de Recherche des Telecommunications (CERT) | Mandatory | In-country testing | 3 years | Yes; must be the importer |
For more information on product certifications for Africa, call + 49-69-2713769 257 (Europe) or +1-773-6542673 (USA) today or email us.
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