Standards conference on cards

Sunday Mail Reporter

Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza will headline the second National Standards Users Annual Conference slated for Kariba next week.

The four-day meeting is geared towards promoting the Zimbabwean industry’s adherence to quality management and standards to anchor Government’s economic revival efforts.

Running under the theme “Harnessing Quality Management Systems for Sustainable Economic Transformation — Towards Vision 2030”, the conference will bring together stakeholders in the quality and standards sector. The summit is being organised by the Quality Management Institute of Zimbabwe (QMIZ).

QMIZ chief executive, Mr Danisa Chinamasa, said poor quality products were affecting industry’s performance in the country.

“The 2022 conference seeks to complement the Government’s industrialisation-based socio-economic transformation drive being spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce,” he said.

“It will achieve this by bringing together stakeholders who are key to the realisation of this goal in line with Vision 2030.

“The conference seeks to foster quality management and standards-related dialogue at a national level in order to enhance the quality of Zimbabwean products and services, with a view to increasing our nation’s global competitiveness.”

Minister Nzenza will be the keynote speaker, while Minister of State for Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mary Mliswa-Chikoka will be the guest of honour.

Representatives of Government ministries, private sector organisations and companies will make presentations.

“The theme and the respective topics have been drawn from the issues affecting our economy and industry performance, from a quality management perspective,” said Mr Chinamasa.

“The issues include the ongoing development of the National Quality Policy, the consignment-based conforming assessment programme, the current ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification programme by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) and the low utilisation of internationally recognised standards by our communities.”

Representatives from SAZ, National Standards User Society, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education, Environmental Management Agency and National Social Security Authority will attend the conference.

Last year’s inaugural conference was attended by 56 companies.

This year, over 100 delegates from various sectors are expected to attend.