Botswana's Minister of Finance Peggy Serame speaks during the launch of the 2023/2024 Government Borrowing Strategy and Auction Calendar in Gaborone, Botswana, on June 13, 2023.(Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) on Tuesday urged Botswana to prop up its Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) before tapping into the international market.
GABORONE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) on Tuesday urged Botswana to prop up its Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) before tapping into the international market.
Speaking at the belated World Accreditation Day press conference held under the theme featuring Accreditation Supporting the Future of Global Trade, Eve Christine Gadzikwa, SADCAS Chief Executive Officer said though Botswana has no sufficient conformity assessment bodies, the country can leverage SADCAS.
"Our testing results are accepted globally and we are ensuring that our technical framework is accepted globally," said Gadzikwa.
With plans to build an export-led economy, diversifying from its economic mainstay -- mining, Botswana still lags behind on national quality infrastructure and technical regulatory framework, despite recently launching a national quality policy, expected to change the country's narrative on quality of goods and services.
She said through utilizing SADCAS, Botswana will help enterprises produce internationally recognized products, in a cost-effective and viable manner, while enjoying economies of scale.
Botswana Bureau of Standards Managing Director Botsile Kebapetse said local entrepreneurs need to start producing quality products that can not only be consumed locally but should also access international markets.
"We have accepted that something needs to be done to the quality of our products, hence the need for the National Quality Policy (NQP)," said Kebapetse.
Early this month, Botswana launched the National Quality Policy crafted in 2022, to revamp its national quality infrastructure and technical regulatory framework. ■
