Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Ministry of Industry and Commerce is conducting public consultations countrywide to gather citizen’s views on the drafting of a Bill whose purpose is to harmonise quality standards in all Government ministries and departments.
Cabinet in 2020 approved the first ever National Quality Policy, which unearthed serious gaps in quality standards as departments, ministries and agencies were developing their own technical regulations, standards and regulatory checks independent of each other.
The Ministry of Industry is, therefore, seeking to address the challenges that have existed from the isolated development of quality programmes, which at the end of the day has affected quality of service and products.
In order to implement the policy, some legal and institutional frameworks have to be developed such as the Technical Regulatory Bill on Quality, Standards and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (Measures) and a Quality and Standards Communication Strategy and Implementation plan.
The consultative workshops being done countrywide, thus, seeks to discuss and analyse the Draft Zimbabwe Technical Regulatory Bill (TRB) for Zimbabwe and Quality and Standards Communication Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Speaking at one of the meetings with stakeholders in Victoria Falls, deputy director Quality Assurance in the Ministry of Industry, Ms Riyana Chibanda, said the silo mentality has negatively affected the development of relevant quality institutions in Zimbabwe.
“As a result, the quality of goods manufactured in Zimbabwe has been behind our regional counterparts with adverse implications on trade, especially access to export markets, consumer protection from substandard and often harmful products and innovation.
“The consultations we are having today on the TRC/Quality Communications Strategy are designed to not only raise awareness on quality issues but for us to receive your invaluable views on the TRB and the Quality Communication Strategy,” she said.
The ministry is working with the assistance of Sadc TRF. The Bill is expected to fill the gap created by the silo mentality that was identified in the drafting of the National Quality Policy.
It has reached a stage of stakeholder consultation in line with Sadc TRF requirements and will go through the Government approval process and implementation after the consultations.
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