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2011/6/1

“Standards and Certification System in Namibia: a Presentation at the Korea-Africa Standards Cooperation Forum” by Riundja Ali Kaakunga (Othy) NSI CEO. 2011/6/1. “Standards and Certification in Namibia”. Introduction The NSI Core Ideology

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2011/6/1

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  1. “Standards and Certification System in Namibia: a Presentation at the Korea-Africa Standards Cooperation Forum”byRiundja Ali Kaakunga (Othy)NSI CEO 2011/6/1

  2. “Standards and Certification in Namibia” • Introduction • The NSI Core Ideology • Definition of Standard, Technical Regulation and Certification • The Role of the NSI • Challenges • Conclusion (s)

  3. Introduction • The NSI is established by Section 2 of the Standards Act No. 18 of 2005 • It is a juristic person with the capacity to sue and be sued in its own name • It is the national institution for the promotion, issue and maintenance of standards in Namibia

  4. Introduction (Cont’d) • The NSI is governed by the Namibian Standards Council (NSC) appointed by the Minister from the Public and private sectors • One of the members of the NSC is the Executive Director of the Namibia Consumer Trust

  5. The NSI Core Ideology • The NSI Core Ideology consists of its Vision, Mission, Core Values and Brand Promise • Vision: To be a key contributor to a world class economy known for excellence. • Mission: Promoting standardisation of products for the safety of consumers, protection of the environment and improved access to global markets.

  6. The NSI Core Ideology (Cont’d) • Core Values: • Focussed on performance but fair on people; • Standardised Excellence; • Streamlined Efficiency; and, • Stakeholder and Customer-centric service. • Brand Promise: Creating Peace of Mind

  7. Definition of a Standard • Annex 1 of the WTO TBT Agreement defines a standard as a “Document approved by a recognised body, that provides for common and repetitive use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods with which compliance is not mandatory [emphasis added]”

  8. Definition of a Technical Regulation • The Technical Regulation (TR) is, on the other hand, defined as a “Document which lays down product characteristics or related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory [again, emphasis added]”

  9. Definition of Certification • Certification is a third-party attestation (i.e., issue of a statement) that specified requirements related to products, processes, systems or persons have been fulfilled (see the international standard ISO/IEC 17000:2005, Definitions 5.2 and 5.5).

  10. Standards used as basis for certification in Namibia • It is note worthy that as stated earlier, compliance with standards is not mandatory • Thus, standards must first be referenced in legislation to have the force of law • If standards are referenced in legislation, they become TRs, and compliance with the TRs is, as stated earlier, mandatory

  11. Standards used as basis for certification in Namibia (Cont’d) • Basically, the standards used for certification, in Namibia, are the relevant international standards and South African National Standards (SANS) • Such standards are plenty and include: SANS 294:2004 - Construction procurement processes, methods and procedures

  12. Standards used as basis for certification in Namibia (Cont’d) • SANS 1914-1:2002 and SANS 1914-2: 2002-Targeted construction procurement Part 1 and Part 2 and, many more such standards

  13. The Role of the NSI • The role of the NSI is to prepare and promote Namibian standards and other standards, including specifications and codes of practice in relation to any commodity • Certify by means of Marks of Conformity and Certificates of Conformity, or other means that, specified commodities or systems conform to specified requirements

  14. The Role of the NSI (Cont’d) • Currently, the NSI inspects and certify all fish and fishery products including those earmarked for export such as to the European Union • To do so the NSI uses its owned accredited inspection unit and accredited laboratories which conduct microbiological and biotoxins tests for various forms of toxins occurring in shellfish

  15. The Challenges • Although the NSI has achieved a lot in a short period of time, its staff need a lot of theoretical and practical technical training to achieve the required training • I seize upon this opportunity to call upon KATS and the KSA - Korean Standards Association to provide assistance that would enable young and promising Namibians to receive technical training in the area of standardisation and conformity assessment to meat these challenges

  16. Conclusion (s) • Within a relatively short period of time, Namibia put in place a technical quality infrastructure complying with international standards • The NSI is established and operates as the national standards body (NSB)

  17. Conclusion (s) • The NSI is the Namibian Member Body of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and a full member of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) • The NSI inspection and test laboratories are accredited to international standards I Thank You

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