6 June 2023
The newly launched National Quality Policy (NQP) is set to position Botswana to competitively participate in regional and global trade.
It was against this backdrop that the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mmusi Kgafela emphasised the need for concerted efforts to implement the policy, which was launched in Gaborone recently.
“Implementation of the National Quality Policy will give Botswana the impetus it needs, to transform and drive from high-middle to high-income economy,” Kgafela said.
He, therefore, challenged the industry, SMMEs, private and public sectors to be proactive in using standards, conformity assessments service and technical regulation in a quest to improve quality of their products and services. He also called for the modernisation of quality infrastructure and technical regulation to meet international best practice as key to the improvement of quality of products and services.
“Successfully implementing the policy will result in increased exports, growth in revenue, increase job creation, while on the other hand reducing the import bill, resultantly leading to self-sufficiency and the much-needed sustainable economy,” he added.
Kgafela said the NQP further aims to create awareness on quality with a view to changing the mindset of Batswana from a one focused on price to quality.
“This is where the public is made aware of the need to prioritise quality over price. Quality culture is an environment where consumers demand quality on the products and services they consume,” he explained.
He further noted an environment in which producers, manufacturers, public and private sector service providers deliver quality in their offerings creates an environment in which Botswana, through the implementation of technical regulations, does not become a dumping site for substandard goods. He said one of the most effective means of attaining a quality culture is through the promotion of standards.
He highlighted that this is done by cross-referencing standards specifications in both tender documents Invitation to Tender (ITT) and regulations. The minister called on public and private sector procurement professionals and the regulators to inculcate the practice of referencing standards specifications and desist from using brand names, especially in their ITTs.
“It should be known that the use of brand names in tenders is against government aspirations of SMMEs development. It creates unfair competition by granting unfair advantage to the owner of the brand against the new entrant who has no known brand, as is usually the case with SMMEs,” he said. He further said the NQP advocates support for SMMEs to conform to standards and technical regulation.
“It is a known fact that SMMEs contribute tremendously to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The policy challenges both SMMEs and their supporting stakeholders to use standards in the provision of products and services,” he added.
He called for the private sector to play a role in providing conformity assessment services such as testing and calibration, thereby contributing to private sector development. Kgafela also indicated that to attain quality, the ministry has established the national quality office within the ministry, which is to work directly with Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) and various stakeholders towards the successful implementation of the policy.
For his part, Assistant Minister of Health, Sethomo Lelatisitswe hailed the launch of the NQP, saying it depicts one of the hallmarks towards Botswana’s global competitiveness in addressing pertinent issues with regards to quality infrastructure. Lelatisitswe said it points to the future direction of the standardisation of quality in Botswana and also demonstrates the nation’s commitment to meet internationally recognised values and principles of global competition.
“As well, it aligns Botswana to the global protocols of scientific, trade and industrial metrology, accreditation and regulation. It will promote a quality culture that inspires high levels of innovation, productivity and improved competitiveness,” he said.
He added that for the country to realise its dream of becoming an export-led economy, there is a need for the products to be of a certain quality that meets global standards.
“Botswana should be on board to remain relevant to the worldwide trade realities dictated by protocols such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as the Reset and Transformation Agenda,” he said.
Source: https://www.africa-press.net/botswana/all-news/policy-positions-botswana-to-trade-globally
