10 May 2017

The financial sustability of Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) is critical in enabling the institution to effectively discharge its mandate, says Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Mr Vincent Seretse.

Officially opening the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) regional workshop on the financial sustainability of national standards bodies recently, Mr Seretse said financial sustainability would help the institutions to develop the same standards, provide training and conformity assessment services as well as trade metrology services.

“My government fully recognises that it is only when goods and services comply with standards that they would be competitive and gain access to international markets, hence we have committed to standardisation as a vehicle for improving enterprise competitiveness and the quality of life of citizens,” he said.

The minister also said the government was fully committed to its membership of the International Organisation for Standardisation through the BOBS.

He said the arrangement would ensure that the country was aligned to international systems of standardisation and operate in line with global norms and practices.

“My government attaches great importance to the role played by the national standards body in promoting industrial development and economic diversification, therefore, in our quest to drive the industrialisation process, government has put in place instruments such as the Industrial Development Policy, Co-operative Transformation Strategy and the Economic Diversification Strategy, all which have identified standards and conformity as a critical component for industrial development,” he said.

For her part, Ms Masego Marobela, BOBS managing director, said as participants they would be taking stock of the performance of their bodies as well as exchange experiences and ideas on strategies they could implement to move towards financial sustainability of their institutions.

“Mr minister, your message has been heeded, and I would like to assure you that as BOBS, and through the guidance of the standards council, we will do our best to implement our mandate as we efficiently utilise resources availed to us,” she said. ENDS