VICTORIA, Seychelles — The National Accreditation Focal Point Office within the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) yesterday organised a half-day awareness session for small and medium enterprises, focusing on the role and benefit of accreditation in ensuring the quality and safety in goods and services as well as improving market access. The event at Standards House, Providence, was held to commemorate World Accreditation Day (WAD), celebrated on June 9, under the theme ‘Accreditation: Empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs)’.
The session, attended by representatives from various small and medium enterprises such as private medical laboratories, food companies and fish processors, was opened by Andy Ally, chief executive of the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS), who said necessary promotions are done on a continual basis to ensure that more corporate assessment bodies are accredited. The importance of accreditation was further emphasised through a video based on the theme, followed by a presentation by microbiologist Corina Chang-Ty-Sing, who elaborated on the accreditation process, its benefits for the success and growth of SMEs.
Ms Chang-Ty-Sing said NAFP Seychelles is encouraging all non-accredited SMEs and conformity assessment bodies (CABs) in the country to adopt quality services in their work culture by implementing a standardised quality management system. She added that at present, Sadcas has accredited four CABs in Seychelles — three laboratories at SBS (an environmental laboratory, a Food Chemistry Laboratory, and a Chemical Analysis Laboratory) and the Ministry of Health Drug Quality Control Laboratory. The fourth, the laboratory at SOCOMEP, is accredited for the testing of histamine in fish. The session ended with a tour of SBS’ accredited laboratories.
