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GNBS to enhance business development standards
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has launched a project to enhance the national quality infrastructure (NQI) for economic diversification and trade promotion locally.
Executive Director of GNBS, Candelle Bostwick (R) and Allison Grant, chair of the National Standards Council.
At a press conference held in the training room of the Bureau on Wednesday last, Executive Director Candelle Bostwick said that the project was realized to support the goals of the Ministry of Business, and designed to create an enabling environment for our local establishments as well as encourage more investment.
“This is so local manufacturers are encouraged to be in contact with the GNBS and to ensure that they purchase copies of the product standards that were developed so far. There are a wide range of standards for locally produced products such as salted fish, and dried salted fish, cassava bread, gold jewellery and toys, among others
“One of the things we would be working on is to improve our marketing as well as our campaign to promote the benefits of standards, and also to educate and sensitize our consumers, because we would like to see Guyana becoming a standard-driven society like many other developed countries.”
Bostwick went on to state, “as it relates to our manufacturers conforming, we would also be depending on regulators from our sister government agencies to use some of these standards as technical regulations. Also, those manufacturers who would be thinking of exporting products will have to implement those requirements in order to access international markets.
The project is made possible by a loan for US$40 million that Guyana recently signed onto with the Inter-American Development Bank, which will see US$9 million being given to the Ministry of Business.
According to Bostwick, with globalization there is urgent need for local businesses to adhere to standards.
“We conducted a needs assessment under the support for competitiveness programme a few years ago, and that programme brought to our attention that there is need for a recognized quality infrastructure in Guyana.
And by that, I mean, we need to have a system in place whereas we can have our local manufacturers have access to testing facilities so that they can guarantee the quality and safety of the products that are manufactured, because they don’t have access to all the requisite testing facilities.”
“We also found that there was a need for additional metrology and calibration facilities, and it was out of those needs that it was identified, and also recognizing government policies to support local business development, we would have had the NQI for economic diversification and trade promotion project realized. A NQI is very critical for any country, for it to ensure that its local products are accepted or have acceptance to international markets, it must be addressed by Guyana, we cannot say that we would like our businesses to be exported and we don’t have the framework to support such.”
“So, this project will allow the development or strengthening of a network of laboratories in Guyana. The focus will be on laboratories that are required for testing our locally manufactured products, so it’s very important that our local businesses get on board,” Bostwick emphasised.
Meanwhile, according to chair of the National Standards Council, Allison Butters-Grant, standards begin from the procurement of raw material to the cash register, and “as we look at globalization, we are imploring our manufacturers to ensure that they create an environment that is respectful of all the standards. The focal point of GNBS is to ensure that standards are adhered to and written for every process and product.
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