THREE LABS of GSB Received Accreditation

THREE laboratories of the Meteorology Division of the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) have received international accreditation in the fields of Mass, Temperature and Pressure, the first of its kind in West Africa.
The accreditation, which was the result of a collaboration between the GSB and the German National Meteorology Institute (PTB), was certified by DKD of Germany for the Board’s measurement and calibration services in the three fields.
The Executive Director of the Board, Mr Adu Gyamfi Darkwa, who made this known at the official launch of the Board’s accredited calibration laboratories and new administration block in Accra, said the accreditation was a formal international recognition of the laboratories competence in the provision of relevant services in the specified fields.
According to him, the benefits of accessing services from these laboratories included accurate and reliable measurements results, traceability of measurement results to international measurement standards and worldwide acceptance of certificates issued by the laboratories.
The Minister for Trade & Industry, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, said the application of international best practices required that Ghana established relevant pieces of legislation, technical regulations and reformed the management of technical institutions in the fields of standardisation, inspection, testing and certification.
“It is my conviction that public institutions such as the GSB can effect real change if they continuously engage in what I call ‘progressive soul searching’ in order to fully come to terms with new changes and decisively take steps to ensure that their leadership, as service providers in a highly competitive world, is not merely maintained, but also enhanced,” he noted.
The minister added that it was gratifying to note that with the technical assistance from the PTB, the Board successfully completed all the lengthy and tedious processes, resulting in the accreditation.
He indicated that such an achievement brought tremendous benefits to the private sector and improved transparency in trade, industry and service transactions.
“I am quite confident that we can take advantage of these new facilities and equipment to make the GSB another fitting showcase of timely and efficient public service delivery,” he stated, adding that the organisations performance and successes would be judged by the level of satisfaction derived by the private sector.
The Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, in an address read on his behalf by the Chief Economics Officer, Mr Dominic Donkor, advised management and staff of the Board to ensure that the laboratories continuously maintained the set standards.
That, he said, was to ensure that the Board adhered to all the conditions of the accreditation, since there would be a periodic surveillance by the accredited body which may lead to the withdrawal of accreditation.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour urged the Board to encourage inter-laboratory comparisons in order to ensure accuracy, reliability, and re-productivity of test results.
He further urged businesses whose activities depended on the facilities to see them (facilities) as national assets and make good use of them as a means of ensuring that the laboratories generated the expected returns on the investments made.
He said his ministry greatly appreciated the outstanding role the GSB was playing in standards developments and the enormous support it offered small-and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), regulatory bodies and government departments.
“The ministry will, therefore, ensure that the final phase of the building is completed on schedule to make room for earmarked activities,” he assured, noting that he hoped that the accredited laboratories and the new Administration & Information Technology building would be properly maintained.
A representative from the German Embassy, Mr Fred Blank, said the German Embassy had been following with great interest the numerous positive developments the country was making towards strengthening its international trade and competitiveness.
These developments, he noted, had also been recognised by the World Bank’s Doing Business Report (DBR), which rated Ghana as the “Best Reformer” in Sub-Saharan Africa for two consecutive years.
“Henceforth, there will be the infrastructure to guarantee quality and safety of agricultural products in Ghana,” he stated, noting that the laboratories also fitted in Ghana’s current strategy for poverty reduction and trade policy.