© 2026 Observater Surveys and Services Group. All rights reserved.
Is your Ethiopian supplier legitimate? Do they have the capacity to deliver? We provide Supplier Verification, Factory Audits, and Quality Control services to protect international buyers from fraud and substandard goods.
We verify business licenses, export permits, and physical existence to ensure you aren’t dealing with a “Ghost Company.”
We assess production lines, machinery, and daily output rates to confirm the supplier can meet your deadlines.
From raw material checks to final random inspection (PSI), we ensure products meet your specifications (AQL).
Social compliance audits checking for child labor, safety standards, and fair working conditions.
Sourcing from Ethiopia offers immense opportunity in Coffee, Textiles, and Sesame. However, trading with a partner you haven’t seen carries significant risk. Scammers, middlemen posing as manufacturers, and factories with poor quality control are real threats.
Observater Ethiopia is your Independent Verification Partner on the ground. We visit the factory so you don’t have to. We verify that the company exists, the machinery is running, and the goods you pay for are the goods you get.
Legal Verification
Technical Audit
Lab & Visual Test
Social Audit
Is your supplier a real manufacturer or just a trader in a small office? We conduct comprehensive on-site audits to assess the factory’s actual capability to produce your order.
Ensure quality before shipment. We inspect finished goods at the factory or warehouse using international sampling standards (ANSI/ASQ Z1.4). We don’t just look at the box; we open it, measure it, and test it.
Checking for cosmetic defects, scratches, stitching errors (textiles), or color mismatch against your Golden Sample.
Does it work? We perform on-site functionality tests for electronics, machinery start-up, or assembly fit.
Verifying carton quality to ensure it survives the journey. We check barcodes, shipping marks, and internal packaging.
A comprehensive checklist designed to expose risks. We verify every aspect of your potential partner in Ethiopia.
Checking Commercial Registration, Tax ID (TIN), and Export Licenses with Ethiopian authorities.
Visiting the registered address to confirm the office/factory exists and is operational (not a PO Box).
Basic review of bank references and financial standing to assess bankruptcy risk.
Checking for past legal disputes, blacklisting, or negative trade references.
Verifying past shipment records to see if they have successfully exported to your market before.
Evaluating daily output vs. your order size. Do they need to outsource (subcontract) to fulfill your order?
Inspecting equipment age, maintenance logs, and calibration status.
Reviewing ISO 9001 certs and internal QC processes (Incoming QC, In-Process QC).
Checking storage conditions for raw inputs (e.g., green coffee beans, fabric rolls) to prevent spoilage.
Assessing if the factory has an internal lab for basic testing or if they use 3rd party labs.
Selecting random production samples to send to you or an accredited lab for analysis.
DUPRO inspection when 20-50% of goods are produced to catch defects early.
Final Random Inspection (FRI) of finished, packed goods before they leave the factory.
Ensuring the verified goods are actually the ones loaded into the shipping container.
Verification of labor conditions, child labor, and worker safety protocols.
Beyond the factory floor, the final hurdle is export readiness. Our FPSI focuses on the logistics conformity of the consignment before it is handed over to the forwarder. We ensure your documentation matches the physical cargo to prevent customs delays at Kality or Modjo.
The most critical moment for cargo safety. We oversee the transfer of goods from the warehouse floor into the container at Modjo Dry Port, Kality, or the exporter’s facility. We prevent bad stowage, theft, and damage.
We reject unfit containers before loading begins. Our 7-point inspection checks for holes, odors, wet floors, and defective locking gear.
Maximizing space while ensuring safety. We supervise stacking patterns to prevent crushing and verify lashing/dunnage to stop movement.
The final chain of custody. We witness the door closing and apply high-security bolt seals. We record seal numbers immediately.
Your cargo’s journey isn’t over when it leaves Addis Ababa. It must transit to Djibouti for ocean shipment. Our team at Doraleh Multipurpose Port (DMP) and SGTD provides the final verification before your goods leave the Horn of Africa.
We inspect the container condition and seal integrity upon arrival at Djibouti Port gates to confirm no tampering occurred during the road transit from Ethiopia.
For cargo being transferred from truck to ocean vessel or cross-stuffed into different units. We ensure safe handling at the quay side.
Verification of quantities loaded onto the vessel. Essential for Bulk Coffee and Sesame shipments to finalize Bills of Lading.
While Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa are our stronghold, our inspection network extends across the entire continent. From the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, we secure your supply chain.
Interactive Map: Click markers for location details. Zoom to explore.
Strategic alternative to Djibouti. We monitor discharge, warehousing, and transit cargo destined for Ethiopia’s eastern regions.
Essential verification for humanitarian aid, construction supplies, and commercial goods entering the key port of Somalia.
Coverage for the LAPSSET corridor. Inspection of project cargo and infrastructure materials destined for Southern Ethiopia.
Full range of PSI, loading supervision, and damage surveys at Kilindini Harbour, the gateway to East Africa.
Also covering: Dar es Salaam, Port Sudan, Durban, and West African hubs.
Common questions about verifying suppliers and ensuring quality in Ethiopia.
Don’t send money until you verify. Get a comprehensive audit report within 48 hours.
When precision matters, Observater Surveys Group is your Partner of Choice
© 2026 Observater Surveys and Services Group. All rights reserved.
Social Compliance Audit
Protect your brand. We audit factories to ensure they meet local Ethiopian labor laws and international social standards. We check for child labor, forced labor, and unsafe working conditions.
Labor Practices
Checking worker age documentation, contracts, working hours, and fair wage payments.
Health & Safety (HSE)
Inspection of fire exits, extinguishers, PPE usage, and building safety.
Environmental Check
Basic review of waste management and chemical storage practices.