Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism Minister George Partridge has described the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) as a critical institution in facilitating trade and industrialisation.
He says its role is central to Malawi’s export drive.
Partridge made the remarks on Tuesday when he toured MBS headquarters in Blantyre to appreciate the institution’s capacity.
He also engaged with management and technical staff.
Partridge said institutions such as MBS were vital because they set quality assurance standards that give confidence to both local and international markets.
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“When people want to buy products or export them, they want assurance that these products are genuine and have been certified by an accredited body. I’m glad to say that MBS is an accredited body and enjoys trust all over the world.
“They have the capacity right here in Malawi. We are already doing a lot of things but most of these are not well known by the public. One of my messages was for them to make sure that there is awareness among stakeholders on what MBS does so that more institutions can utilise this opportunity,” Partridge said.
MBS acting Director General Thomas Senganimalunje said the institution had international accreditation and overall capacity to support national development priorities, including in the areas of agriculture, mining and other sectors.
He said MBS was also expanding the scope of its accreditation processes in line with export-oriented value chains identified in its strategic plan.
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“We are targeting value chains that are earmarked for export. For example, macadamia, which is already an export crop, is accredited in that scope. Tea, honey and others are included,” Senganimalunje said.
Sen g anima l un je said MBS was testing over 70,000 samples annually across a wide range of products, including macadamia and tobacco, with major clients such as Malawi Mangoes and Johns Hopkins.
MBS is accredited at both regional and international level, giving Malawi’s certified products an opportunity to meet international standards and make use of opportunities such as the African Continental Free Trade Area market, with access to about 1.3 billion people and a gross domestic product estimated at $2.5 trillion.
