MBS strategic plan to enhance standardisation

Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has launched a five-year strategic plan to promote standardisation, quality assurance and metrology services in the country.

The launch comes a week after Southern Africa Development Community Accreditation Services (Sadcas) accredited MBS as an internationally-recognised certification bureau.

Speaking during the launch of the strategic plan in Blantyre last week, MBS board chairperson Action Amos said the new strategic plan, which will run from 2017 to 2022, centres on developing market standards and increasing government revenue through export of goods certified by the bureau.

He said: “We are living in an economy which is changing, so as MBS we are looking at the dynamism of the economy that we are living in; hence, we needed to strategise on areas that we see ourselves improving as an organisation in the next five years.

“As you know, there are many challenges that we are currently facing, including issues to do with infrastructure and influx of sub-standard goods that are coming in the country. The only way to address these issues is by having a strategy to guide us.”

Amos asked government to continue supporting their projects since MBS continues to lack equipment for testing products.

He said the strategic plan will increase the number of employees by 260 next year to accommodate the bureau’s workload.

In his remarks, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism director of planning Francis Zhuwao said the strategic plan is linked to Malawi Growth Development Strategy III (MDGS III) to promote industrial growth.

“There are specific objectives to do with strengthening capacity and also setting standards of what they want to achieve in the next five years.

“Within the strategic plan, there are implementation arrangements of monitoring and evaluation as a way of ensuring that they achieve the strategic plan, so as government we are impressed,” he said. n