The industrialisation and trade ministry recently inaugurated the Core Group that will be spearheading the implementation of the revised National Quality Policy for 2020 to 2025.
The ministry launched the revised National Quality Policy in April this year – and its implementation is long overdue, since it was supposed to be effected three months after the launch.
However, due to the pandemic restrictions, the ministry was unable to host and start with the policy implementation as envisaged.
“In order to implement the revised National Quality Policy, the policy made provisions for the establishment of an inter-ministerial Core Group representing ministries involved in technical regulation, whereas the main National Quality Infrastructure organisations will be represented, and the development partnexrs will be invited as observers,” explained trade minister Lucia Iipumbu during the launch.
According to Iipumbu, the ministry is tasked to ensure products traded and manufactured by local enterprises are in compliance with the set standards under the ‘Growth at Home’ strategy – and that all imports should be subjected to quality compliance tests to reduce sub-standard products entering the Namibian market.
The Core Group is established with the objective of leading the institutional and legal modernisation of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) for concerned bodies to provide competent and essential support and services to industries, government and all other stakeholders in line with the international best practices and norms.
“The Core Group is expected to monitor and oversee the implementation plans on a regular basis until the successful implementation of the policy – and is further required to develop a progress report every six months through my office to Cabinet,” Iipumbu stated.
She further highlighted some of the key responsibilities of the Core Group, which are to review and align current institutions to the National Quality Policy to ensure the quality infrastructure environment is conducive for delivering the services required in support of Vision 2030 and the associated Namibia Industrial Development Policy, National Development Plans and Harambee Prosperity Plan II.
Moreover, to ensure there are no oversights, overlaps, duplication and conflict of interest amongst the various institutions that constitute the National Quality Infrastructure and regulatory agencies in the country.
According to the line minister, the main objective of the revised quality policy is to improve the overall business environment and the quality of products and services – and in doing so, increase domestic and foreign investors’ confidence.
“Businesses today, either public or private institutions, on the international market require goods and services to be of high quality and meet recognised standards. With the implementation of our revised National Quality Policy, we have confidence and believe that we will see more Namibian products and services meeting international standards, and [being] traded in the domestic and international markets.
The Core Group is, therefore, entrusted to ensure that the policy objective is achieved,” she stated.
Furthermore, Iipumbu shared the ministry is at an advanced stage of securing aid from its development partners to the amount of approximately N$27 million to assist with the implementation of the revised policy: “This aid is also aimed to support the NSI and key ministries dealing with technical regulations in consolidating their related infrastructure to conform to international requirements.”