SBS holds workshop to commemorate World Accreditation Day |10 June 2023
PS Nalletamby addressing the gathering
To commemorate World Accreditation Day yesterday, the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) organised a half-day workshop to sensitise its stakeholders on its National Accreditation Focal Point (NAFP) status obtained from the regional accreditation body, the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS).
It was for the participants to understand more about accreditation and its benefits, the accreditation body and how accreditation is assisting local producers and processers to export their products as well as to ensure conformity within the local economy.
SADCAS is a multi-economy accreditation body established in terms of Article 15 B of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Annex to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Trade with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment service providers (calibration/testing/medical laboratories, certification and inspection bodies) operating in the SADC member states that do not have national accreditation bodies are subject to an oversight by an authoritative body.
The workshop under the theme ‘Supporting the Future of Global Trade’ was held at the bureau’s premises, Providence.
It was opened by the principal secretary for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Michael Nalletamby.
Apart from representatives from ministries, the association of laboratories, conformity assessment bodies and fish establishments, also present were the chief executive of SBS, Andy Ally; the chief executive of the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) Natalie Edmond; the Food and Agriculture (FAO) consultant, Guy Morel; staff and board members of SBS.
Accreditation being the attestation of competence of conformity for assessment bodies to carry out specific impartial conformity evaluation tasks, was established by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum to promote the value of accreditation worldwide.
The theme for this year highlights the support accreditation offers to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a comprehensive and ambitious plan of action with the overarching goal of leaving no one behind.
It also highlights how accreditation and conformity assessment are adapting to advances in technology, changes in consumer behaviour and the regulatory environment, new trust mechanisms, and changing business models.
In his opening remarks, PS Nalletamby said that in addition to supporting to achieve the SDGs, accreditation, alongside other quality infrastructure institutions such as metrology, standardisation, conformity assessment and market surveillance, are critical cornerstones in supporting the three interrelated thematic priorities of creating shared prosperity, advancing economic competitiveness and to safeguard the environment.
He stated that SBS’s achievement of accreditation testing of mercury, lead, cadmium and histamine in fishery products as well as its accreditation for the testing of pH, conductivity, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, fluoride and chloride in potable water have facilitated market access for our local businesses with the export of fish and fishery products all over the world and thus contribute towards our country’s economic growth.
PS Nalletamby added that the Drug and Quality Control Laboratory of the Health Care Agency for ‘Chemical Analysis – Pharmaceuticals’ in March 2021 assisted in controlling the specification and quality of imported pharmaceutical products into the country.
“These two examples show the direct benefits of accreditation to the country and in this light, the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry will continue to provide all the necessary support and as much of the resources possible to SBS in a bid to turn the organisation into a sound quality infrastructure service provider, and in its quest to venture towards accreditation for the testing of agro products such as cinnamon oil, coconut oil and vanilla as well as honey which have the potential for future export and or import substitution,” said PS Nalletamby.
He noted that accreditation reinforces the recognition of the Conformity Assessment Bodies and thus plays a pivotal role in supporting global trade by mitigating the technical barriers to trade.
PS Nalletanmby stated that while we should not underestimate the significance of the quality infrastructure in the economy and even more so the accreditation of such facilities, we must be conscious of these and work together, as much as possible, to continue expanding our quality infrastructure facilities, and to the extent feasible, have them accredited.
The opening remarks by PS Nalletamby were followed by three PowerPoint presentations by three SBS staff namely Corina Chang-Ty-Sing, who talked about the accreditation process and its benefits, Guillaume Woodcock, who talked about work done to strengthen the fish export industry and to ensure good water quality and Cliff Barra, whose presentation was on the accreditation of coconut oil tests.
The workshop ended with a visit to SBS’s different labs.
Speaking to the press later, Mr Ally said that SBS is pushing for other regulators to go for accreditation given the need for inspections and tests in food and water products.
He noted that getting the regulators to embrace accreditation will give the international and local clients more confidence in products produced in the country in relation to quality and safety.
He added that accredited products receive preferential access to markets that are normally inaccessible to other producers whose products are not accredited.
Patrick Joubert
Photos by Patrick Joubert/SBS
