Annual Report of the SADC Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA)

Transcription

1 Annual Report of the SADC Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA) A TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE (TBT) COOPERATION STRUCTURE OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (SADC)

2 ARTICLE 18 (1) OF THE TBT ANNEX TO THE SADC PROTOCOL ON TRADE STATES THAT: The SADC Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA) shall coordinate accreditation services in the region and facilitate the national, regional and international recognition and acceptance of SADC accreditation infrastructure, providing Member States with accreditation as a tool for facilitating trade and the protection of health, safety and the environment in both the voluntary and regulatory areas.

3 P a g e 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SADCA ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE... 4 CHAIRPERSON S OVERVIEW... 5 SADCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE... 7 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE... 8 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING ATTENDANCE... 9 THE SADCA ACCREDITATION BODIES MAURITIUS ACCREDITATION SERVICE (MAURITAS) SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ACCREDITATION SYSTEM (SANAS) SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY ACCREDITATION SERVICE (SADCAS) BOTSWANA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO MADAGASCAR MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE NAMIBIA REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES SWAZILAND TANZANIA ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION REGIONAL PARTICIPATION AFRICAN ACCREDITATION COOPERATION (AFRAC) DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (Dti) PHYSIKALISCH TECHNISCHE BUNDESANSTALT, GERMANY PERFORMANCE PROGRESS AGAINST MEASURABLE 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN: 2014/15 OBJECTIVES FUTURE PLANS /16 PERFORMANCE TARGETS TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS... 77

4 P a g e 4 SADCA ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE The objectives of SADCA are: To develop the SADCA MRA; To develop and maintain mutual confidence amongst Accreditation Bodies in the SADC region and internationally; To achieve and maintain uniformity of accreditation activities in the SADC region and internationally; To promote and facilitate the use of accreditation as a tool for national governments in the removal of technical barriers to trade and the protection of health, safety and the environment in both the voluntary and regulatory areas; To promote the consistent application of accreditation standards and facilitate their implementation; To ensure the provision of regional accreditation cooperation services which are independent, impartial, transparent, non discriminatory and achieve and maintain a high level of integrity and confidentiality whilst ensuring ethical operations; Facilitate access to current databases of recognised Accreditation Bodies within the region and internationally; To facilitate the implementation of effective collaboration amongst accreditation bodies and any other institutions dealing with accreditation in the region; To coordinate SADC projects on accreditation; To participate in activities of and liaise with the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC); To facilitate capacity development in the region in the area of accreditation; To coordinate inputs to and liaise with international organisations concerned with accreditation, such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF); To promote cooperation and exchanges with other bodies with similar objectives on accreditation. TECHNICAL COMMITTEE TECHNICAL SUB COMMITTEES GENERAL ASSEMBLY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEES SECRETARIAT AND REGIONAL COORDINATOR MRA COUNCIL MRA COMMITTEE

5 P a g e 5 CHAIRPERSON S OVERVIEW This year marks the 19 th year of SADCA s existence. During the period under review, work was undertaken in implementing the third year of SADCA s 5 Year Strategic Plan. SADCA set out to achieve the following objectives during the period under review: Mr Robin Gopee SADCA Chair Operationalization of the Technical Committee; Continuous marketing and communication of the Cooperation; Maintenance of the SADCA Proficiency Testing Schemes (PTS) database, and participation in other Regional Cooperation PTS; Operationalization of the SADCA MRA Council and Committee; Conduct peer evaluations of the SADCA Accreditation Bodies (ABs); and Conclusion of Technical Cooperation Agreements with other Regional Cooperations. The SADCA Chair also serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee (EXCO); The Chair represents SADCA on the International Accreditation Forum s (IAF) Executive Committee; SADCA has a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC); SADCA s focus for the next three years will be on the qualification of its peer evaluators as well as the establishment of the SADCA Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between the SADCA ABs. Progress on these initiatives will be presented at the SADCA General Assembly meeting on 19 March Highlights for the Period under Review It is with pleasure to report that the fifth General Assembly of the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) was hosted by the Ethiopian National Accreditation Office (ENAO) in September 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first AFRAC MRA was signed between the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) and the Tunisia Accreditation Council (TUNAC) at these meetings. The SADCA Secretariat also serves as the AFRAC Secretariat, and continues to provide the necessary support required. The SADCA Secretariat was also invited to attend the Joint Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) General Assembly meetings in Guadalajara, Mexico from June Attendance at these meetings further strengthened SADCA s relationship with APLAC and PAC in the development of accreditation in all three regions. I wish to inform the members that SADCA was Pre-Peer Evaluated by a joint AFRAC and ILAC team in June 2014 and will have their Full Evaluation in SANAS was Peer Evaluated by AFRAC and will be Peer Evaluated by ILAC/IAF in August MAURITAS is expected to be Pre- Peer Evaluated by a joint AFRAC and ILAC team in 2015.

6 I am also pleased to announce that of the eight (8) trainee evaluators that were trained in 2009/10, one (1) was qualified in the Calibration scope. More trainee evaluators will be trained, registered and qualified in following year, however, opportunities are being sought to further expose SADCA trainee evaluators to peer evaluations. The SADCA logo was re-designed in order reflect the SADCA Cooperation wording and to align it to the SADC TBT Cooperation Structures Logos. Two logo design options were surveyed to the members to select the design that reflects SADCA accurately. The logo will be approved at the General Assembly Meeting on 19 March The SADCA Regional Coordinator (RC) Dr Elsabe Steyn is in the final stage of the SADCA Accreditation Toolkit development, the Toolkit is aimed at aiding the Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) in the region. The Accreditation Toolkit is set to be launched at the General Assembly Meeting on 19 March 2015 in English and will be translated into French and Portuguese at a later stage. SADCA members were invited to participate in the following Proficiency Testing (PT) programmes: The Pan-African Cement Proficiency Testing Scheme organised with the collaboration of PTB in January 2014; The Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) T 091: Analysis of Lubricants Proficiency Testing in February 2014; The International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) 120 Proficiency Testing Programme on determination of heavy metals in Chocolate in October 2014; and The APLAC T 097: Food Microbiology Quantitative Scheme in November With the new developments at SADCA the following activities need to be undertaken in 2015: A mid-term review of the current SADCA Strategy and Business Plan; The establishing of a task force to prepare a position paper on SADCAs role in the African and international accreditation arena; and A workshop to consider the mid-term review and position paper; and Preparation of the SADCA 5 Year Strategy Plan for I would like to express my gratitude to the SADCA Members, Executive Committee (EXCO), MRA and Technical Committee and the Secretariat for the support provided during the period under review. I would also like to thank our development partners, the South African dti and PTB for the valuable technical assistance to the Cooperation over the past 19 years. In conclusion, I trust that you will all enjoy reading about SADCA s activities during the period under review, including the significant progress in accreditation activities by Members. I would also like to welcome our colleagues in Madagascar back into SADCA. Mr Robin Gopee SADCA Chair P a g e 6

7 P a g e 7 SADCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Back row (left to right): Ms Nonhlanhla Halimana (Secretariat), Mrs Maureen Mutasa (SADCAS CEO), Mr Ron Josias (MRA Committee Chair), Ms Anna-Marie Lötter (South African dti representative), Dr Elsie Meintjies (SADC Secretariat) and Ms Fikile Skosana (Secretariat). Front row (left to right): Dr Elsabe Steyn (Regional Coordinator), Mr Robin Gopee (SADCA Chair) and Mr Viki Kanama Mbuya (SADCA Vice-Chair). Not in the picture: Mrs Masego Marobela (Previous SADCA Chair) and Mr Pilot Masunga (SADCA Technical Committee Chair).

8 P a g e 8 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The SADCA Executive Committee (EXCO) met once during the period under review from February 2015 at the SANAS Offices in Pretoria, South Africa. The purpose of the meeting was to: The Executive Committee is responsible to the General Assembly for the effective pursuit of SADCA objectives and for the day-to-day management of SADCA. Review progress on the implementation of the EXCO Workplan 2014/15 and to plan for the 2015/16 Workplan; Receive updates from the MRA and Technical Committee activities; Receive updates on SADCA peer evaluations and peer evaluators; Receive an update on the SADCA Toolkit developments; Review the SADCA logo designs; Prepare for the upcoming SADCA Annual meetings; and Review the draft Annual Report and SADCA documents; SADCA DOCUMENTS The EXCO reviewed and commented on the following documents, once the documents are finalised they will be placed on the SADCA website: A SADCA Bylaws; P SADCA Document Control Procedure; P SADCA Appeals and Complaints Procedure; A SADCA Quality Manual; A SADCA MRA Committee Terms of Reference; and A SADCA Technical Committee Terms of Reference. The EXCO approved the following documents which will be uploaded on the SADCA website: A SADCA Secretariat Procedure; P SADCA Records Management Procedure; The EXCO is scheduled to meet on 15 March 2015 in order to prepare for the SADCA General Assembly meeting, the meeting will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

9 P a g e 9 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING ATTENDANCE During the period under review the SADCA EXCO held one meeting, and the record of attendance to this meeting is shown below. NAME Mr Robin Gopee (MAURITAS-Mauritius) Mr Viki Kanama Mbuya (Office Conglais de Contrôle- Democratic Republic of Congo) Dr Elsie Meintjies (SADC Secretariat-Botswana) Mrs Maureen Mutasa (SADCAS-Botswana) Mrs Masego Marobela (BOBS-Botswana) Ms Anna-Marie Lötter (dti-south Africa) Mr Ron Josias (SANAS-South Africa) Mr Pilot Masunga (BOBS-Botswana) Dr Elsabe Steyn (SANAS-South Africa) Ms Nonhlanhla Halimana (SANAS-South Africa) Fikile Skosana (SANAS- South Africa) MEMBERSHIP Chair Vice-Chair Member Member Member Member MRA Committee Chair Technical Committee Chair Regional Coordinator Secretariat Secretariat MEETING DATE(S) 17 February 2015 X X X 18 February 2015 X X

10 P a g e 10 THE SADCA ACCREDITATION BODIES The Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA) is a cooperation of Accreditation Bodies (ABs) namely the: Mauritius Accreditation Service (MAURITAS); South African National Accreditation System (SANAS); and Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS). SADCA is a cooperation of three (3) Accreditation Bodies (ABs) namely: Mauritius Accreditation Service (MAURITAS) South African National Accreditation Service (SANAS) SADCA s aim is to coordinate accreditation services in the region and facilitate the national, regional and international recognition and acceptance of the SADC accreditation infrastructure. Member States will thus use accreditation as a tool for facilitating trade and for the protection of health, safety and the environment in both the voluntary and regulatory areas. SADCA s main objective is to conclude and maintain a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between the ABs in SADC as well as the achievement of international recognition of its own competence to manage an MRA within SADC. In undertaking these developments it will comply with international procedures for the evaluation of ABs. Southern Development Accreditation (SADCAS) African Community Service The following section provides reports from the three (3) existing ABs in SADC and the SADC Member states that do not have their own national accreditation bodies, in order to provide an overview of accreditation activities in the SADC region, during the period under review.

11 P a g e 11 MAURITIUS ACCREDITATION SERVICE (MAURITAS) Mr Robin Gopee Director - MAURITAS Contact Details: 8 th Floor, Air Mauritius Centre President John Kennedy Street Port Louis Mauritius (t) (f) (e) rngopee@govmu.org MAURITAS is the sole national accreditation body and has been established under the Mauritius Accreditation Service Act 1998 as a department within the Ministry responsible for the subject of Industry and Commerce to provide a national, unified service for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies. MAURITAS certificates are a formal recognition that an organization is competent to perform specific tasks. MAURITAS was established following the adoption of the Mauritius Accreditation Service Act MAURITAS was set up as a department within the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection with the objective of providing a national unified accreditation service for a range of conformity assessment bodies such as laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies. PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING APRIL 2014 TO FEBRUARY 2015 MAURITAS has been entrusted with the responsibility of implementing accreditation programmes covering laboratories, certification bodies and Inspection bodies. With the continued support and commitment from the Mauritius Government and the technical/funding assistance from the French Development Agency (AFD), the strategy of the Ministry was to extend MAURITAS accreditation services into new areas such as the inspection accreditation, food safety and information security management systems accreditation programmes, and to achieve international recognition. The implementation of the accreditation services has become decisive by the Government in view of increased product export, growing concerns for health and environment as well as product safety through accredited competent authorities. Accreditation Certificates Granted and Renewed by MAURITAS With the establishment of the Accreditation Committee in January 2008, the first laboratory was granted accreditation in February 2008 and the first certification body was granted accreditation in July To date, 26 laboratories (24 testing and two calibration) have been accredited by MAURITAS in various fields of accreditation and one certification body for its management system schemes in the areas of QMS, HACCP and ISMS. In 2014, five medical laboratories were granted accreditation against ISO 15189:2007 standard, two accredited laboratories had their accreditation suspended temporarily on a voluntary basis due to relocation, and seven accredited laboratories had their accreditation renewed against the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard, following the successful assessments of their facilities by the assessment teams from MAURITAS. In 2014, the integrated management system of the above certification body was assessed by a local MAURITAS

12 P a g e 12 assessment team against the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021:2011 standard. MAURITAS delivered five new accreditation certificates in the medical testing field in June-July The assessments were jointly carried out by assessment teams comprising of Mauritian and South African Assessors. Joint Accreditation Project MAURITAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) in August 2014 and is working in close collaboration with the NABCB for the assessment and joint accreditation of certification bodies. It should be noted that in the context of international recognition and acceptance of certificates worldwide, the joint accreditation programme with NABCB is of great assistance to a certification body accredited by MAURITAS. MAURITAS Management System Following the two visits carried out by the AFNOR/COFRAC experts, MAURITAS carried out a self-assessment of its management system and reviewed MAURITAS documents for its established accreditation system, namely it s, procedures, regulations, guidance documents and forms through technical meetings. The review and updating of documents and forms are an ongoing activity. In 2014, MAURITAS carried out a complete internal audit of its management system during June to September and conducted a management review at the end of the year. MAURITAS will be submitting its Peer Evaluation application to AFRAC/SADCA and ILAC/IAF in The objective of the Peer Evaluation is to ensure that the MAURITAS management system complies with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011: The Peer Evaluation will enhance and expand confidence among MAURITAS stakeholders with the accreditation service provided by MAURITAS to a range of conformity assessment bodies. This will also provide a widespread recognition of competence of the accredited conformity assessment bodies to the end users. Training and Capacity Building Training and capacity building was provided to MAURITAS staff and potential Assessors under the ACP-EU TBT program and a total of 74 Assessors were trained in several training courses. Two Assessor Training Courses on ISO/IEC 17025:2005 were organized by MAURITAS for 50 participants and 46 passed the exam. One Assessor Training Course on ISO 15189:2012 was organized by MAURITAS for eight participants and six passed the exam. One Assessor Training Course on ISO/IEC 17021:2011 was organized by MAURITAS for 13 participants and all participants passed the exam. Twenty participants from laboratories were trained on implementation of ISO 15189:2012 standard. Twenty one participants attended a Training Course on Method Validation & Measurement Uncertainty. Twenty four participants attended an Internal Audits course. Consultancy services were provided in two phases by two ACP-EU Experts on 18 laboratories (17 medical laboratories and one laboratory in the field of construction materials) to identify

13 P a g e 13 the needs of the laboratories and to verify implementation of the components of the training courses in the laboratories. MAURITAS Assessors for laboratories and certification bodies were regularly provided with the opportunity to observe assessments on-site on an on-going basis. The on-the-job training exercise is a major component of the capacity building for MAURITAS and also for the respective laboratories in the different sectors. Accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies Following the launch of the laboratory accreditation programme in 2005 and the certification body accreditation programme in 2007, a total of 57 applications have been received from the Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and 57 applications have been reviewed. To date, 35 laboratories have undergone pre-assessment, 28 laboratories have been subjected to initial assessments and 26 laboratories have been granted accreditation following the first accreditation granted in February To date one certification body has been granted joint accreditation for the QMS, HACCP and ISMS Certification Schemes. MAURITAS is planning a joint assessment of the certification body in collaboration with NABCB for Regional Role of MAURITAS Following the nomination of Mr. R. N. Gopee as Chairperson of SADCA and Vice Chairperson of AFRAC, Mr Gopee attended the SADCA and AFRAC Executive Committee (EXCO) and annual meetings. MAURITAS intends to participate fully in all technical Committees and be involved in all accreditation activities. MAURITAS staff have been nominated for the following SADCA Committees: SADCA MRA Committee: C.Bheekhun; and SADCA Technical Committee : M. Koolwont. MAURITAS staff were also nominated for the following AFRAC Working Groups: Laboratory Working Group: M. Koolwont: Inspection Body Working Group: M. Koolwont; Certification body Working Group: C. Bheekhun; and Marketing and Communication Working Group: C. Matadeen-Domun. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES International Cooperation and Accreditation Information MAURITAS is an Associate Member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) since November 2008 and is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). MAURITAS made comments, reviewed and voted on a number of ILAC and IAF documents. MAURITAS has operates a website since February 2010 and regularly updates the relevant information pertaining to accreditation issues. Information on MAURITAS can be found on and can be downloaded freely.

14 P a g e 14 MAURITAS provides information about its activities and its accreditation programmes through the website of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection. MAURITAS promotes its accreditation services by distributing brochures and flyers at relevant workshop/seminars as and when organised. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS Development of Certification Body and Inspection Body Accreditation System in New Areas The purpose of the projects is to seek technical assistance from foreign accreditation bodies in order to enhance the competence and strength of MAURITAS and its staff in the new accreditation programmes. New implementation plans for the various activities under the projects have been updated and agreed with the French Development Agency (AFD). MAURITAS is developing the inspection body accreditation programme and new accreditation programmes for certification bodies together with NA in the following areas: Food Safety Management System (FSMS) Information Security Management System (ISMS) Short consultancy work for FSMS and ISMS, and the identification and selection of assessors/experts have been completed. The drafting and review of documents for ISMS and FSMS have been completed. Following the recruitment of new Staff, two MAURITAS Staff and two freelance Assessors attended a training course on accreditation standards for certification bodies in Norway from 29 October to 7 November 2014 completed in the exams. The training courses covered the following accreditation standards; ISO/IEC 17021:2011, ISO/TS 22003: 2012 and ISO/IEC 27006: Short consultancy work for inspection body accreditation, and the identification and selection of assessors/experts have been completed. The drafting and review of documents is on-going. Attachment training at NA has been planned for February Under the project Achieving International Recognition with ILAC and IAF, MAURITAS has made considerable progress. Following the visits by AFNOR/COFRAC Experts, the ILAC/IAF - A3 Narrative Framework document were finalized and updated. MAURITAS staff have participated in a self-assessment exercise of the MAURITAS management system with the assistance of one AFNOR/COFRAC Expert. PLANS FOR 2015/16 MAURITAS Management System MAURITAS will move to its new office location in March MAURITAS is currently consolidating its pool of Assessors/Experts. MAURITAS will be providing training on ISO/IEC with the assistance of NABCB. MAURITAS will also train laboratory personnel on ISO/IEC and ISO MAURITAS will provide training on accreditation process and MAURITAS regulations.

15 P a g e 15 MAURITAS envisages reviewing its documents comprising of its Quality Manual, procedures, guidelines and regulations and will complete a second internal audit and a management review in MAURITAS will pursue to accredit four new laboratories and carry out 27 surveillance visits for the conformity assessment bodies in Technical Assistance by the French Development Agency (AFD) MAURITAS is developing new accreditation programmes and consolidating its management system with the financial assistance of the French Development Agency (AFD). MAURITAS will be submitting the application to ILAC/IAF/AFRAC for a Pre-peer evaluation from ILAC/IAF/AFRAC it is expected to be submitted in May 2015 and have the pre- peer evaluation in August The achievement of International Recognition with ILAC /IAF/AFRAC is expected to be around 2015/16 following submission of application. The new accreditation service for inspection body accreditation is being developed through capacity building of MAURITAS staff with the assistance of Technical Assessors/Experts from NA. MAURITAS will organize the assessment of 2 inspection bodies together with NA in June Training on the accreditation standard for inspection bodies has been scheduled for February 2015 at NA. Attachment training for MAURITAS staff and freelance Assessors to observe and participate in assessments of certification bodies and witnessing audits in Norway are scheduled for April It is expected that an assessment of the conformity assessment body under the project in Mauritius will be scheduled for May LESSONS LEARNT MAURITAS and its Assessors benefited from several workshops, seminars, meetings and trainings under different projects. Personnel from the Mauritian laboratories also benefited from the visits of different technical experts to upgrade the quality system of their laboratories. MAURITAS has been continuously building capacity by sending selected potential Assessors and trainers to SADCAS for ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC and ISO training courses. MAURITAS has built capacity by participating in a follow-up evaluation of NCA, Kazakhstan and in a peer evaluation of SANAS, South Africa. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS It is expected that SADCA should intervene and recommend MAURITAS to participate fully in all technical committees, workshops, meetings and training in accreditation and be involved in accreditation activities in order to build capacity of its staff share and to share experience in the regions. SADCA should also intervene to help MAURITAS to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the exchange of lead/technical assessors with other accreditation bodies in and outside the region. SADCA should also help MAURITAS and recommend for the observation and participation in internal audits, pre-peer and peer evaluation of accreditation bodies.

16 P a g e 16 SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ACCREDITATION SYSTEM (SANAS) Mr Ron Josias Chief Executive Officer - SANAS Private Bag X23 Sunnyside 0132 South Africa Contact Details: (t) (f) (e) ronj@sanas.co.za The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) is recognised by the South African Government as the single National Accreditation Body that gives formal recognition that Laboratories, Certification Bodies, Inspection Bodies, Proficiency Testing Scheme Providers and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) test facilities are competent to carry out specific tasks in terms of the Accreditation for Conformity Assessment, Calibration and Good Laboratory Practice Act (Act 19 of 2006). SANAS purpose is to instil confidence and peace of mind to companies and individuals through accreditation which is required for economic and social wellbeing for all. The South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) is classified as a schedule 3A organisation mandated through the Accreditation for Conformity Assessment, Calibration and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Act, Act No. 19 of 2006, and reports to the Minister of Trade and Industry. SANAS is the only national accreditation body that provides an internationally recognised and effective accreditation and GLP compliance monitoring system that enables the Republic of South Africa to do the following: Accredit, or monitor for GLP compliance purposes, organisations falling within its scope of activity; Promote accreditation as a means of facilitating international trade and enhancing the Republic s economic performance and transformation; Promote the competence and equivalence of accredited bodies; and Promote the competence and equivalence of GLP compliant facilities. In order to fulfil its mandate of promoting accreditation as a means of facilitating trade of South African goods and services and supporting industrial development, thus enhancing South Africa s economic performance, SANAS needs to demonstrate its competence to its international counterparts in order to gain the support necessary to promote equivalence of confidence in the results produced by the South African conformity assessment bodies. This need led to engagement with networks of mutual, bilateral and multilateral recognition arrangements, such as the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING APRIL 2014 TO FEBRUARY 2015 The past year has seen a marked increase in the demand for accreditation services to support Government s strategic objectives. Within this context, SANAS continued to develop and implement systems for the accreditation of various conformity assessment scopes that are required to service the priority sectors

17 P a g e 17 identified in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP), as well as those projects assigned to the Department of Trade and Industry in the IPAP. SANAS played an important role in supporting Government in its policy objectives related to industry sectors. During the period under review and provided the various Government departments with accreditation services related specifically to the protection of health, safety and the environment. In 2014/15 SANAS launched three new programmes that were included in the IPAP namely the new accreditation programme for the recognition of the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) scheme, the Organic Agricultural Production and Processing and, Road Transport Management Systems. SANAS continues to support the green economy through four of its accreditation programmes. Food Safety Scheme Certification Food Safety Scheme Certification (FSSC) is an independently owned ISO-based food safety management system (FSMS). The FSSC scheme have additional requirements over and above the SANS/ISO requirements which SANAS is already providing accreditation for. These additional requirements are established by the FSSC foundation. The actual responsibility and authority for the content of the scheme and the delivered certification audits is the FSSC Board of Stakeholders, represented by the relevant stakeholders of the food supply chain. Without this certification it become difficult for food product produced in the country to be exported to Europe. Therefore, SANAS accreditation facilitates the export of South African produced food. Road Transport Management System Road Transport Management System as an industry self-regulation is recognised by the Department of Transport through the national road freight strategy. RTMS operate in harmony with the government acts and regulation for transport. Road Transport Management System certification applies to consignors, consignees and transport operators each with their own requirements (i.e. SANS 1395 family of Standards). It is a self-administered scheme, implemented by participating companies. SANAS is in the final develop stage for the roll out this accreditation programme. Organic Agricultural Production According to Industry Policy Action Plan, Organic Agricultural Production and Processing (OAPP) as a food sector represents a high-value niche sub-sector with the potential to create 20,000 jobs over five years in both the primary agriculture and agro-processing stages of the value chain. Moreover, since South Africa currently imports a significant proportion of the organic food demanded by consumers, there are both import replacement and export opportunities for the sub-sector. SANAS in support of the IPAP for the Agro-process is developing and will roll out an accreditation programme for Organic Agricultural Production and Processing.

18 P a g e 18 Figure 1: Total number of SANAS accredited facilities as at 31 December 2014 OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES During the period under review, accreditation in the following fields was offered: Calibration laboratories and proficiency testing schemes; Testing laboratories; Medical laboratories; GLP-compliant facilities; Forensic laboratories; Veterinary laboratories and GCP-compliant facilities; Blood transfusion facilities; Pharmaceutical facilities; Inspection bodies; Verification laboratories; Certification bodies; and B-BBEE verification agencies. Accreditation Programmes 8 New accreditation programmes 3 Accredited facilities 1503 Number of assessed facilities 1042 Scopes 126 Sub scopes 180 Qualified assessors 240 Staff members 71

19 P a g e 19 PLANS FOR 2015/16 In 2015/16 SANAS will focus on the following objectives: To have a successful peer reviewed by the ILAC and IAF in August 2015; To develop and roll out 3 new accreditation programmes namely, Energy Efficiency Performance of Buildings, Information Security Management Systems and Information Technology Services Management Systems ; To grow the assessors pool to 500; To grow accredited facilities to 1550; and To conduct 1199 assessments.

20 P a g e 20 SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY ACCREDITATION SERVICE (SADCAS) Mrs Maureen Mutasa Chief Executive Officer - SADCAS Contact Details: Private Bag Gaborone Botswana (t) /10 (f) (e) info@sadcas.org The Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) a subsidiarity organization of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is a non-profit, multi-economy accreditation body whose mission is to provide internationally recognized, cost-effective regional accreditation services for SADC member states aimed at: Supporting regional and international trade; Enhance the protection of consumers and the environment; and Improve the competitiveness of SADC products and services in both the voluntary and regulatory areas. SADCAS offers programmes for the accreditation of testing/calibration laboratories, certification bodies (management systems/product/personnel) and inspection bodies. The Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS) is a multi-economy accreditation body that was established as part of the SADC infrastructure for standardization, quality assurance accreditation and metrology (SQAM) in order to meet the accreditation needs of SADC Member States especially those without their own national accreditation bodies namely: Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Lesotho; Madagascar; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Seychelles; Swaziland; Tanzania; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. SADCAS offers accreditation services and training on accreditation related activities. SADCAS currently offers the following accreditation programs: Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Program (CLAP) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025; Testing Laboratories Accreditation Program (TLAP) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025; Medical Laboratories Accreditation Program (MLAP) in accordance with ISO 15189; Inspection Bodies Accreditation Program (IBAP) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17020; Management Systems Certification Bodies Accreditation Program (CBAP - MS) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17021; Product Certification Bodies Accreditation Program in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065; and Personnel Certification Bodies Accreditation Program in accordance with ISO/IEC SADCAS will broaden its scope of accreditation as the needs arise. The last report to SADCA was presented at the 2014 Annual General Meeting and covered the period March 2013 to February This report covers the period March up to 31 December 2014 and summarizes the achievements in each of the 5 key result areas agreed for the 2014/15 financial year only up to 31 December PROGRESS REPORT ON THE 2014/15 KEY RESULT AREAS SADCAS is in its 7 th year of operation as a multi economy accreditation body. As at 31 December 2014, SADCAS had issued 40 accreditation certificates to 29 accredited facilities in seven SADC

21 P a g e 21 countries namely: Botswana (five); Namibia (four); Seychelles (two); Swaziland (one); Tanzania (seven); Zambia (two); and Zimbabwe (eight). Figure 1 represents a 26% growth in number of accreditations since the last report to SADCA. Figure 2 indicates the breakdown of accreditations based on fields of accreditation, they are as follows: Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Programme (CLAP) [seven]; Testing Laboratories Accreditation Programme (TLAP) including Veterinary Laboratories [12]; Medical Laboratories Accreditation Programme (MLAP) [seven]; and Inspection Bodies Accreditation Programme (IBAP) [three]. Most of the accredited facilities fall under the TLAP at 41%. A significant growth was witnessed with the MLAP with accredited medical laboratories constituting 24% of the accredited facilities refer to Figure 3. Figure 1 - Number of Accredited Facilities by Country Figure 2 - Cumulative Number of Accreditations Figure 1: Number of accredited facilities by country Figure 2: Cumulative number of accreditations Figure 3 - Accreditations by Field CLAP (7) TLAP (12) MLAP (7) IBAP (3) 12 Figure 3: Accreditations by field SADCAS received 48 accreditation applications from eight SADC Member States and two non SADC countries at the various stages of the accreditation process namely: Angola (one), Botswana (15); DRC (four); Mozambique (two); Namibia (one); Tanzania (seven); Zambia (three); and Zimbabwe (13) and non SADC countries Liberia (one) and Ghana (one), refer to Figure 4. SADCAS has witnessed increasing interest in the MLAP and TLAP with 19 applications under process (40%) being Medical laboratories and 22 (46%) being Testing laboratories, three Inspection bodies (6%), three Calibration laboratories (6%) and one Management System Certification body (2%), refer to Figure 5. A further 23 applications who expressed interests in accreditation are being handled.

22 P a g e Figure 4- Number of Accreditation Applications by Country Figure 5 - Accreditations Applications by Field CLAP (3) TLAP (22) MLAP (19) IBAP (3) CBAP (1) Figure 4: Number of accreditation applications by country Figure 5: Accreditation applications by field By 31 December 2014 SADCAS had successfully conducted 85 training courses in 11 SADC Member States namely: Botswana (15); DRC (12); Malawi (two); Mozambique (three); Namibia (12); Seychelles (three); South Africa (three) Swaziland (three); Tanzania (11); Zambia (seven) and Zimbabwe (14) to promote accreditation and an understanding of the accreditation requirements, refer to Figure 6. Over 1200 participants have benefited from the SADCAS training courses. Training services grew by 33%. All SADCAS courses were undertaken on behalf of SADCAS by a pool of 17 registered trainers with hands on experience in accreditation matters and the trainers cover three official languages used in SADC Figure 6- Training courses breakdown by Country Figure 7 - Cumulative Number of Training Courses Figure 4: Training courses breakdown by country Figure 7: Cumultative number of traiining courses During the period under review, SADCAS set up an Advisory Committees for the TLAP and CLAP comprising of 18 and 13 members respectively from the SADC Member States that are serviced by SADCAS. The TLAP and CLAP Advisory Committees are set to meet in the 2015/16 financial year. The Advisory Committee for Inspection bodies in Zimbabwe whose membership was extended during the period under review to ensure a good balance of interest and expertise, held its 4 th meeting during which the members considered the criteria for the accreditation of Inspection bodies performing Inspection of metallic storage tanks. The scope will also be extended to cover lifting equipment as soon as the regulations are promulgated. The SADCAS

23 P a g e 23 Regulator model adopted in Zimbabwe is working well and SADCAS is promoting the model in other SADC Member States that are serviced by SADCAS. In order to monitor the effectiveness and suitability of the SADCAS Quality Management System (QMS) and compliance of its systems with ISO/IEC 17011, the international standard that SADCAS has to comply with in order to be signatory to the international accreditation arrangement, a management review was undertaken in June 2014 following which SADCAS went through the pre peer evaluation. The review concluded positively on the suitability and effectiveness of the system reaffirming the results of the customer satisfaction survey undertaken during the 2013/14 financial year: 100% of the accreditation clients rated SADCAS overall services from good to excellent; 75% rated services for accuracy and completeness of technical information from good to excellent; 93% rated services process timelines from good to excellent; and 100% rated professionalism of assessment teams from good to excellent. Enhance Global Acceptance of SADC Products and Services Accreditation services kick started through a Twinning Partnership Arrangement (TPA) with the South African National accreditation System (SANAS). In an effort to address the accreditation needs of French speaking SADC Member States, a TPA was signed in February 2014 with TUNAC with the certificate handover ceremony subsequently held in September Translation of 41 prioritized SADCAS QMS documents into French was finalized and verified whilst the translation of the other 14 prioritized documents into French is underway. The four applications received from DRC are now at approval of quotation stage. Both the SADCAS/SANAS and the SADCAS/TUNAC TPAs are in line with international best practice so as to facilitate SADCAS development and to give confidence on the market whilst SADCAS works towards signatory status in international accreditation arrangements. Efforts are now underway to enable SADCAS to service the accreditation needs of SADC countries where Portuguese is the official language with the negotiations underway with the Portuguese Institute for Accreditation (IPAC). SADCAS maintained its Associate Membership category in the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), Special recognition - Observer Membership category in the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), full member category in the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) and ordinary member category in the SADC Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA). SADCAS continues to actively participate in regional, continental and international accreditation fora and attended the SADCA Annual Meeting in March 2014, ILAC Technical Committee meetings, the 5 th AFRAC General Assembly and the 2014, ILAC/IAF annual meetings held in March, April, September and October SADCAS also continues to review and comment on regional, continental and international accreditation documents. Great strides were made towards international recognition of its accreditation certificates, with SADCAS successfully undergoing a joint pre peer evaluation by ILAC and AFRAC from 23 to 27 June The final evaluation report was submitted to ILAC/AFRAC on 17 December 2014 with recommendations to the ILAC Arrangement Management Committee (AMC) and AFRAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) Committee that a full evaluation of SADCAS be carried

24 P a g e 24 out. The ILAC AMC has supported the recommendation from the evaluation team that a full evaluation of SADCAS should be carried out. SADCAS is therefore set to undergo the peer evaluation of the TLAP and CLAP in June/July 2015 and is well on its way towards signatory status and aims to achieve the said status in the 2015/16 financial year. Efforts are underway to get the other accreditation programmes to the said status. SADCAS Management and Staff with the Joint ILAC/AFRAC Pre-peer EvaluationTeam during the Exit Meeting Effectively Promoting and Marketing the Benefits and Importance of Accreditation and SADCAS Services SADCAS thrust during the period under review continued to be on promoting the benefits and importance of accreditation and marketing SADCAS services with 10 targeted marketing visits being undertaken, 11 presentations being made to stakeholders at national, regional and international meetings/workshops/seminars/. Three editions of the Pioneer Newsletter were published in March, July and November 2014 and the 6 th SADCAS 2013/14 annual report was also published during the period under review. Ten press releases on the accredited facilities. The SADCAS top management participated at two certificate handover ceremonies at some of the accredited facilities. Additional SADCAS promotional material was developed and will be published by the end of the 2014/15 financial year in the 3 official languages used in the SADC region i.e. English, French and Portuguese and additional material will be accessible from the SADCAS website. The SADCAS website was maintained throughout the period of review with new articles being posted under latest news and the directory of accredited facilities being updated upon accreditation of facilities. Visitation statistics continue to indicate an increasing interest in the SADCAS website not only by number of visitations but also by the number of countries visiting the website.

25 P a g e 25 SADCAS continues to use World Accreditation Day (WAD) as a promotional tool for accreditation and also to market SADCAS services. The SADC region has been commemorating WAD since 2009 and over the years the region has witnessed increased commemoration activities and increased awareness on accreditation issues. In 2014 activities which were undertaken between June and August 2014 ranged from conferences held in Botswana Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Tanzania, to press releases and television to radio interviews. In some countries targeted marketing visits were undertaken to companies as part of the commemorations. World Accreditation Day has helped to reach out to the various stakeholders thus achieve the objective of creating awareness on the need and importance of accreditation with more and more conformity assessment bodies working towards accreditation as evidenced from the increasing number of applications, expressed interests and enquiries on accreditation not only by geographical diversity but also field and scopes of applications. Building Capacity and Capability of SADCAS As part of the continuous professional development (CPD) programme for the 2014/15 year, SADCAS staff were scheduled to attend various training programmes which will be undertaken by 31 March 2015 including the internal auditing courses and attachments at internationally recognized accreditation bodies. By 31 December 2014 one additional technical staff was recruited and took up position in SADCAS in November Recruitment of the other technical staff is underway. Although the pool of assessors who undertake assessments on behalf of SADCAS was still 36 Technical Assessors and 19 Lead Assessors by 31 December 2014, a further 25 experts from nine SADC Member States were trained as assessors in July/August 2014 of whom 22 succeeded and are set to proceed to the mentoring stage. This training is being undertaken under the auspices of the SADC EU funded EDF 10 REIS programme. For cost effectiveness, the 8 th National Accreditation Focal Points (NAFP) Annual Meeting which was originally scheduled to be undertaken in November 2014 was rescheduled to be held in February 2015 in conjunction with the marketing and communications training course. The NAFPs however continued to function generally effectively with average estimate realization being 71% and 74% for the 1 st and 2 nd quarters of the 2014/15 financial year. Striving for Sustainability The set up and operationalization of SADCAS was funded by the Norwegian Government to the tune of NOK 13 million for 5 year project that ended in March In order to ensure continuity of SADCAS in the 2013/14 financial year, the Norwegian Government provided additional funds amounting to NOK 1.55 million with a deadline of March 2017, Governments of SADC Member States that are serviced by SADCAS are funding SADCAS operational budget deficit of US$ million of which US$ 388,864 has already been contributed by Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland with the rest expected to be contributed in due course. The SADCAS business is growing both in terms of scope and field of accreditation as well as geographical coverage. Expressed interest in accreditation is also increasing not only in

26 P a g e 26 numbers but also in terms of scopes and fields of accreditation. Over the past six financial years since SADCAS started to offer services operational income has been increasing, refer to Figures 8 and 9. As at 31 December 2014 accreditation income constituted 63% of total operational income with 37% being training income. Figure 8 - Trends in Income from Operations BWP ,813,088 1,926,055 1,108, , /9 2009/ / / / / /15* Figure 8: Trends in income from operations * Anticipated total operational income Figure 9 - Trends in Income from Operations - Training and Accreditation BWP ,143, ,202, /9 2009/ / / / / /15 * Training Accreditation Figure 9: Trends in income from operations- training and accreditation * Anticipated training and accreditation income CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS As at the time of compiling this report, US$ 388,864 had already been contributed by Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland out of the operational budget deficit of US$ million which Governments of Member States serviced by SADCAS have committed towards SADCAS sustainability over a five year period up to 31 March 2017 with the rest expected to be contributed in due course. We therefore appeal to those SADC Member States who have not yet paid their contributions to do so in good time.

27 P a g e 27 SADCAS is still anxiously awaiting decision by the host country the Republic of Botswana on its application for diplomatic immunities and privileges which would greatly facilitate SADCAS operations in the region. The challenge of a limited pool of assessors is being addressed through the SADC EU EDF 10 REIS programme under which more experts will be trained as assessors taking into account the language diversity in the region and anticipated service demand. LESSONS LEARNT With the growing accreditation business, and the great strides made towards international recognition, the timeous inflow of Government contributions is critical in order to sustain SADCAS operations. Coaching of conformity assessment bodies especially from the key development sectors as identified in the SADC Industrial Policy, in order to prepare them for accreditation remains critical towards goal realization. With the achievements so far, and the support from Governments, SADCAS will continue to play its role in supporting the freedom of world trade, protecting the consumers and the environment we live in as well as enhancing the competitiveness of SADC goods and services thus contributing to the SADC ultimate goal of achieving economic growth, alleviating poverty and enhancing the standard and quality of the life of its people. PLANS FOR 2015/16 Looking ahead our thrust will be to continue consolidating, streamlining and enhancing SADCAS service delivery to the target population bringing up to speed those countries where accreditation uptake has been slow and prioritizing activities based on anticipated demand in the immediate to long term. SADCAS will also need to enhance global acceptance of SADC products and grow the Company s own generated revenue so as to develop SADCAS into a credible, sustainable and dynamic organization at the cutting edge of accreditation service delivery. To do this we will need to continue promoting the benefits of accreditation and marketing SADCAS services, build and retain our most important asset the intellectual capital, skills, experience, knowledge and expertise of our staff, assessors and trainers and strengthen NAFP effectiveness. SADCAS objectives and key strategies for 2015/16 are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. Business Objectives Accredit 34 facilities so that by 31 March 2016 SADCAS will have cumulatively accredited 77 facilities Undertake 33 training courses on accreditation related activities. Continue to promote benefits and importance of Process Improvement Objectives 80% of corrective action shall be cleared within 3 months after the assessment 80% of assessment packs shall be ready at least 5 days before the AAC meeting 80% of accreditation decisions shall

28 P a g e 28 Business Objectives accreditation and market SADCAS Services so as to grow SADCAS accreditations by 79% and training by 37% over the 2014/15 statistics. Achieve signatory status in ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement for global acceptance of calibration and testing laboratories accreditation certificates by December Work towards signatory status of the medical laboratories and inspection bodies accreditation programmes Process Improvement Objectives be made no later than 3 weeks after the assessment pack is ready 80% of surveillance assessment shall be performed according to the scheduled timelines Table 1: Objectives for 2015/16 Number Key Strategy 1 Consolidate, streamline and enhance delivery of accreditation service to the target population bringing up to speed those countries where accreditation uptake has been slow and prioritizing activities based on anticipated demand in the immediate to long term 2 Enhance global acceptance of SADC products and services 3 Effectively promote the benefits of accreditation and market SADCAS services 4 Build and retain our most important asset the intellectual capital, skills, experience, knowledge and expertise of our staff, assessors and trainers 5 Strengthen NAFP effectiveness 6 Grow the Company s own generated revenue and develop SADCAS into a sustainable and dynamic organization at the cutting edge of accreditation service delivery Table 2 - Summary of SADCAS Key Strategies for 2015/16

29 P a g e 29 BOTSWANA Contact Details: Ministry of Trade and Industry Private Bag 0014 Gaborone Botswana (t) (f) (e) edmmatli@gmail.com or eemmatli@gov.bw Botswana continues to implement various accreditation activities through the SADCA Ordinary Member: NAFP-Botswana and the SADCA Stakeholder Member: Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) in collaboration. The activities involved include visiting various conformity assessment bodies in Botswana with an objective of promoting and marketing accreditation, SADCAS, mobilising participants for training on key accreditation standards and conducting of accreditation awareness workshops. Both the SADCA Ordinary Member and SADCA Stakeholder Member continue to engage with other local stakeholders such as the government departments and the industry in promotion of accreditation in the Botswana. PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING APRIL 2014 TO FEBRUARY 2015 The following activities were carried out during the period under review: ISO/IEC Forum The BOBS ISO/IEC forum for laboratories was conducted and was the 45 th Meeting since the forum was established. The meeting was on 27 March 2014 in Gaborone and attended by 41 participants from 28 organisations excluding participants from BOBS who attended the meeting. The participants were from various industry sectors which include manufacturing, law enforcement and laboratories in food testing, material testing, medical laboratories, academic, forensic science, with an interest in laboratory quality service as well as public health and Safety. Two presentations were made at the meeting by the NAFP Botswana and the Secretary of the Botswana Testing Laboratory System World Accreditation Day (WAD) Commemoration The 2014 WAD commemoration was celebrated in the second city of Botswana, Francistown, on 9 June 2014, and was jointly organized by the NAFP-Botswana and BOBS ISO/IEC Forum. A total of 82 delegates from various key accreditation stakeholders from inspection bodies, testing laboratories, food industry, health industry, civil engineering and construction industry as well as academic and calibration laboratories in both the public and private sector in Botswana participated in the event. The commemoration was characterized by a half day workshop with various presentations and exhibitions by a number of institutions that participated in the workshop. The Deputy Permanent Secretary (Economic Diversification

30 P a g e 30 Drive) in the Ministry of Trade and Industry graced the event. The following presentation topics were delivered at the workshop: The role of SADCAS in Delivering Confidence in the Provision Of Energy by the SADCAS CEO; The role of accreditation in supporting the work of regulators in delivering confidence in the provision of energy by Principal Energy Officer, from the Department of Energy Affairs, Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources; The role of Energy Providers in delivering Confidence in the provision of Energy by the Manager of Network Planning and Development, Botswana Power Corporation; The role of Metrology/Calibration Laboratories in ensuring a credible measurement system by the Managing Director of Lamworld Technologies; The role of Conformity Assessment Bodies in assuring quality of products/services and importance of accreditation by the Water Quality Manager from the Water Utilities Corporation; The role of Stakeholder Forums in Accreditation by the Secretary of Botswana Testing Laboratory System; The business expectations from accreditation by the Manager Risk and Compliance Management from Tati Nickel Mining Company; and The progress made by the country made in creating awareness on the benefits and importance of accreditation by the Botswana NAFP. An evaluation of the workshop was undertaken and the results indicated a 96% satisfaction level from the 80 participants who responded to the questionnaire. The key issues that were highlighted by the respondents were: the length of the workshop to be improved to one full day, sending out of invitations well in time and organizers to consider diversifying industrial coverage for the workshop/accreditation commemoration. The recommendations from participants will assist in improving the organising of future events. Marketing and Promotion of Accreditation A total of nine conformity assessment bodies, namely Department of Energy, Bokamoso Private Hospital Laboratory, Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital Laboratory, Goodhope Primary Hospital Laboratory, Department of Water Affairs, Moshupa Primary Hospital Laboratory, Dr A.E. Lambart Clinical Laboratory, Athlone Primary Hospital Laboratory and National Blood Transfusion Laboratory were visited during the period under review as a way of promoting accreditation in the Botswana. The main purpose of the visits was to encourage the institutions to consider accrediting their work to increase confidence of customers on their results. Capacity Building of Conformity Assessment Bodies During the review period a total of nine training courses on key accreditation standards were offered for 104 participants by SADCAS and BOBS. The courses conducted by SADCAS included: One (1) ISO/IEC Requirements and Internal Auditing for Inspection Bodies training course with eight participants from 7 to 11 July The training course was held for the first time in Botswana.

31 P a g e 31 Two (2) ISO 15189: 2012 Requirements and Internal Auditing for Medical Laboratories training courses conducted from 14 to 18 July 2014 and 27 to 31 October 2014 with nine and eight participants, respectively. One (1) ISO/IEC Requirements and Internal Auditing for testing/calibration Laboratories training course from 27 to 31 October 2014 with eight participants. BOBS conducted the following public and requested courses during the period under review: BOS ISO/IEC Documentation Course for 12 participants from 6 to 9 May 2014; BOS ISO/IEC Understanding Course for 27 participants from 11 to 14 November 2014; BOS ISO/IEC Auditing Course for 10 participants from 22 to 25 September 2014; BOS ISO 15189:2012 Understanding Course for 20 participants from 22 to 27 June 2014; BOS ISO 15189:2012 Awareness Course for 10 participants from 21to 22 October 2014; and Strengthening Laboratory Managers Towards Accreditation (SLMTA) Course for 20 participants from 27 to 31 October The following accreditation related training courses were conducted in the country: One (1) regional Lead and Technical Assessor Training course conducted by SANAS was conducted at Oasis Motel in Tlokweng, Botswana from 28 July to 1 August 2014 with a total of 25 participants from various SADC member States of which 5 participants were from Botswana. One (1) Quality Assurance course for 17 laboratory personnel from 11 local testing laboratories representing different sectors of the industry was conducted by BOBS in collaboration with Botswana Testing Laboratory System (BTLS) in September 2014 in Gaborone. One (1) Quality Control and Method Validation was offered to 35 laboratory personnel from 19 to 26 January 2015 in Gaborone by CDC/BOTUSA. Laboratory Consultancy During the period February 2014 to January 2015 no laboratory was consulted and assisted with the development of quality management system according to ISO/IEC and ISO However there were enquiries but these did not extend to consultation activities. The marketing of the laboratory consultancy scheme continued to be undertaken through one-onone meetings with laboratories and at meetings. National Quality Control Sample Exchange Scheme (NQCSES) BOBS coordinated its proficiency testing scheme, the National Quality Control Sample Exchange Scheme, as follows: Microbiology scheme 25 testing laboratories registered and participated in the 2014/2015 NQCSES. The microbiology scheme was offered in four groups namely; water, food group one and food group. For each of the groups, three rounds were conducted. Some laboratories enrolled in all the three groups while some registered in

32 P a g e 32 one (1) or two (2) of the groups offered. The overall performance of the participating laboratories in this scheme during the review period was satisfactory. BOBS also coordinated the SADCMET Water PTS for microbiology in which a total 75 laboratories from SADC Member States, other African countries and Europe registered for the scheme. There was a remarkable increase in the subscription from 57 laboratories in the previous year, denoting a 32% increase. This was attributed to effective marketing of the scheme by the coordinator and the sponsor. Of the 75 laboratories that registered for the scheme, 8 did not submit their results for inclusion in the final evaluation of performance. The overall performance in the scheme however, was satisfactory. Chemistry scheme two (2) groups were offered for chemistry during the review and these were Group 1 -heavy metallic elements in water and Group 3 major constituents in water. For each group only one (1) round was implemented and the average performance in the scheme was satisfactory for Group 1 but was below average for the Group 3. The poor performance for Group 3 was due to laboratories not following the instructions as submitted with samples. Civil engineering scheme - the Civil engineering PT was offered for masonry units and cube crushing. Nine (9) materials testing laboratories registered to participate. Samples were dispatched to laboratories in January 2015 and the evaluation of the results and performance of the laboratories will be done in March 2015 following the completion of the testing by the laboratories and reporting back to the coordinator. In addition to PTS being offered by BOBS, some local laboratories also participated in other external PT schemes such as FAPAS, Health Protection Agency, EPI, APLAC, SADCMET Water PTS and NMISA among others as appropriate to their field of testing. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES Status of Conformity Assessment Bodies in Accreditation SADCAS continues to provide information on the status of accreditation in the country and the region as a whole through its website and other platforms. In Botswana some conformity assessment bodies applied for accreditation with SADCAS and the applications were at various stages of processing. Some of these facilities were assessed and appropriate recommendations made based on the outcome of the assessment. Botswana Testing Laboratory System (BTLS) During the period under review the BTLS had a number of challenges which negatively affected its operation and implementation of its plans. There wasn t much activity by the laboratory association except for the training on Quality Assurance for laboratory personnel which was conducted in collaboration with BOBS in September The inactivity of the association is mainly attributed to the unavailability of the EXCO members due to commitment to their work at their employment places. However, three EXCO members attended the SADC Regional Laboratory Association (SRLA) Annual Meeting in October 2014 in South Africa. Participation in Regional and International Forums Participation in regional and international forums are noted as follows:

33 P a g e 33 SADCA members from Botswana participated on the 29 th SADC SQAM Annual meetings which were held at Tlotlo Conference Center in Gaborone, Botswana from March The SADCA Member participated at the 4 th AFRAC General Assembly from September 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The SADCA Member attended the Test & Measurement Conference and the SADC Regional Laboratory Association Annual Meeting from 1-3 October 2014 in Muldersdrift, South Africa. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS The major challenges faced by the NAFP are similar to those stated in the previous years and are as follows: Failure to mobilize enough participants for training on key accreditation standards still persists; NAFP being involved in multiple duties other than accreditation; and Most Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABS) lack financial resources to carry out accreditation activities. The interventions associated with these challenges will be to continue intensify marketing and promotion of accreditation and SADCAS activities in Botswana through visits to conformity assessment bodies, World Accreditation Day commemoration as well as conducting training and workshops. Other challenges include those associated with coordination of the proficiency testing scheme in the country. Some laboratories are still reluctant to subscribe to the scheme citing costs, not realizing the benefits of participating in the scheme and other reasons. Accreditation of the proficiency testing is yet another milestone to be realized. PLANS FOR 2015/16 The following courses will be conducted: No. Course Date 1. ISO/IEC Requirements & Internal June 2015 Auditing for inspection bodies Requirements & Internal Auditing for calibration/testing laboratories July ISO Requirements & Internal Auditing August for medical laboratories ISO/IEC Requirements & Internal October Auditing for calibration/testing laboratories ISO/IEC Requirements & Internal 9-13 Nov 2015 Auditing for inspection bodies 6. ISO/IEC Requirements & Internal 7-11 December Auditing for calibration/testing laboratories 2015

34 P a g e 34 LESSONS LEARNT There is a need to build on the progress made over the years to intensify promotion and marketing of key accreditation standards and other SADCAS activities. The preparation of the accreditation toolkit is a welcome development as it would assist conformity assessment bodies to understand the various aspects of accreditation. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS Completion of the accreditation tool kit which is currently under development for use by CABs is highly recommended. SADCA is to intensify awareness of regulators and CABs in the region of the importance of accreditation and its benefits to ensure increased uptake of accreditation in the region.

35 P a g e 35 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO All accreditation related activities are supervised by Mr Albert Kasongo Mukonzo, Director General of the Office Conglais De Contrôle (OCC) and managed by the National Accreditation Focal Point (NAFP) represented by Mr. Kanama Viki Mbuya and seconded by Mrs Apauline Matata Feza. They are located in Kinshasa and Matadi in the Bas Congo province. Contact Details: Office Congolais De Contrôle (OCC) 98, Avenue du Port Kinshasa Gombe (t) (e) kanama_viki@yahoo.fr PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING MARCH 2014 TO JANUARY 2015 Accreditation Awareness/Marketing and Promotion Awareness was undertaken within OCC/CABs, DRC Members Laboratories of NLA-DRC and was guided by the ASCOLAB goal to promote accreditation and to assist the laboratories in the accreditation process. ASCOLAB is now a tool in marketing accreditation and SADCAS Services. Increased SADCAS website visit. Distributed The Pioneer (SADCAS Newsletter) to stakeholders. Downloaded French Brochures on the SADCAS website. Distributed the SADCAS Annual Report. Circulated the SADCA Questionnaire and the PT Scheme invitation from NLA-SA. Training Courses SADCAS conducted a training course on ISO/IEC for KCC Mining Staff in the Katanga Province. The training was held in Kolwezi. ASCOLAB conducted three (3) training sessions: one (1) in Kinshasa on the selection, validation and methods control for 20 participants from testing laboratories from August 2014, and two (2) at Lubumbashi from October And a Metrology Responsible training on 24 October 2014 for 45 participants from testing laboratories. Accreditation of CABs The head of OCC established a programme on accreditation; OCC Chemical and Inspection laboratories had previously submitted application forms in English and they have been recently provided with French application forms in preparation for their first joint evaluation by SADCAS/TUNAC; In April 2014 COFRAC confirmed accreditation for mass, volume and temperature calibrations laboratories of OCC (Non automatic weighing instruments calibration on site; - Volume Laboratory: calibration of volume standards;

36 P a g e 36 Temperature Laboratory: calibration in laboratory and on site of liquid in glass (Thermometers); and The SSM Lab is preparing its quality document under the NAFP supervision with the aim of seeking accreditation from SADCAS. Meetings Attended The NAFP and the second DRC NAFP attended the annual SADCAS and SADCA GA Meetings in Gaborone/Botswana at the SADC SQAM Meetings in March 2014; The NAFP attended SADCAS Board Meetings as a member of the SADCAS Board; The NAFP attended the Test and Measurement Conference and Workshop at the NLA-SA in South Africa in October 2014; The NAFP attended the SADC Regional LAB Association (SRLA) Meeting held in South Africa in October 2014 as the ASCOLAB Chair; and The NAFP attend the 8 th AFRIMETS General Assembly in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia from 18 to 20 June OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES OF ACCREDITATION The SADC Regional Economic Integration Support (REIS) Programme selected two (2) DRC Candidates for the Technical Assessors training for testing and Calibration Laboratories. Many activities related to accreditation are ongoing, under the supervision of the NAFP representative Mr Kanama Viki Mbuya in preparation of the Audit that will be undertaken by an external auditor. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS CABs that are preparing for accreditation have no training in proficiency testing. ACTION PLAN FOR 2015/16 The compilation of the 2015/16 action plan is currently underway. LESSONS LEARNT The growing need for accreditation in DRC in critical fields such as food, mining analysis and exportation Inspection. Other Laboratories are involved in accreditation through ASCOLAB. Many medical laboratories from the public sector have no money for training and accreditation fees. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS To assist DRC laboratories through participation in PT Schemes. Many laboratories in DRC are interested in accreditation but are faced with financial problems.

37 P a g e 37 MADAGASCAR Note: Madagascar was re-admitted into SADC in May Non submission of the Madagascar report was due to the fact that the NAFP was only appointed in December Contact Details: Bureau de Normes de Madagascar (BNM) BP 1316 Antananarivo 101 Madagascar (t) (e) nafp.madagascar@yahoo.fr or bnm@moov.mg

38 P a g e 38 MALAWI Malawi has had its accreditation focus on the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS) since SADCAS s inception in SADCAS is represented in Malawi by one SADCA Committee Member based at the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS), and two National Accreditation Focal Points, one based at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the other at MBS Contact Details: P.O Box 946 Blantyre Malawi (t) (f) (e) patriciankondowe@mbsmw.org PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN FROM MARCH 2014 TO FEBRUARY 2015 Malawi participated in the annual SADC SQAM Meetings held in Gaborone, Botswana in March Malawi commemorated the World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2014 with the international community by publishing a Press Release through the print media in Malawi. MBS developed its management systems for accreditation activities which was enhanced by the running project on building a robust Standardization, Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Metrology infrastructure in Malawi in the following areas: Testing Laboratory services against ISO standard in Microbiology, General Chemistry and Pesticides Laboratories; Calibration Services against ISO standard in Mass, Length and Volume Laboratories; Management Systems Certification against ISO standard; and Product and Services Certification against ISO standard. More awareness on SADCAS was done at the following CABs: Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital; Mzuzu Central Hospital; St Joseph Hospital; and Agricultural Research and Extension Trust (ARET) amongst others. More CABs were introduced to SADCAS activities during the Annual General Conference for the Laboratory Association of Malawi held from 9-10 December MBS participated in the international trade fair in June 2014 where CABs were introduced to the SADC Accreditation Services. INFORMATION ON OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES Malawi commemorated World Standards Day through a public debate aired on a radio station on 17 October The theme for World

39 P a g e 39 Standards Day was Standards level the playing field. CHALLENGES The low acceptance rate by CABs to pursue accreditation continued to be a challenge. PLANS FOR 2015/2016 To promote and market the benefits and importance of accreditation and SADCAS; To commemorate World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2015; and To participate at stakeholders meetings, workshops and training at national, regional and international level. LESSONS LEARNT Most CABs in Malawi are private and seem to confine themselves with in- house conformity assessment activities, they seem less interested to apply for accreditation, while the semigovernment CABS show some willingness to apply for accreditation. Effort needs to be channelled to assist the CABs on the road to accreditation. Private CABs need aggressive marketing for them to apply for accreditation while the few semigovernment would require some training to build up their management systems.

40 P a g e 40 MOZAMBIQUE PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING (PERIOD UNDER REVIEW) The promotion of accreditation and SADCAS were carried out as follows: Contact Details: National Institute of Standardisation and Quality (INNOQ) de Setembro, 2 nd Floor P.O Box 2983 Maputo Mozambique Contacts with managers of laboratories, in order to convince them to seek accreditation in order for them to have reliable results and apply for accreditation from SADCAS; Visit to Global Laboratories, which perform testing of blocks for construction. It is a branch of a South African laboratory and intends to implement the quality management system; Distributing of promotional material (brochures), newsletters (The Pioneer) and reports from SADCAS to the stakeholders; and Attempted to visit the geology laboratory but it failed because since the last visit, there were no changes due to faulty equipment. (t) (f) (e) nhampulo_gui@yahoo.br or gnhampulo@mic.gov.mz In respect of Identifying accreditation the following activities were performed: Renewing by some laboratories and extending of the areas of accreditation by other laboratories. Examples are the INNOQ metrology laboratories and the testing water and food; Contact and conversations with the Director of the Research Laboratory of Manhiça (research laboratory in the clinical branch) which resulted in the request for accreditation to SADCAS. However, the response from SADCAS did not corresponded to the urgency required by the laboratory, since they did not meet the requirements in full; The INNOQ-certification department has their system established and are in the process of implementation; The following skills building trainings were done: Three laboratory technicians, two of Metrology and one of testing participated in the Lead and Technical Assessor training on ISO/IEC 17025, which was arranged and provided by SADCAS; In the scope of the association of laboratories, the training on calculation of uncertainty for laboratories technicians took place; Training on Auditors in ISO / IEC took place and was organized by the Association of Mozambican Laboratories and sponsored by UNIDO;

41 P a g e 41 Training on uncertainty calculation and management of laboratory equipment, organized and sponsored by UNIDO; INNOQ is in the equipping stage of its testing laboratories for testing the quality of food and water. Thus the training in December of the engaged technicians to this area on the use of the installed equipment; Training in Audits based on ISO / IEC for microbiology laboratories took place. This was sponsored by UNIDO and attended by trainee technicians of food and water laboratories; and The Mozambique Association of Laboratories (ALM) organized a workshop on Digital laboratories and invited laboratories of various sectors and different areas. Facilitation: The NAFP received AFRAC website updates from SADCAS; The NAFP received an action plan and a marketing plan from SADCAS; The NAFP forwarded information on accreditation such as training under the guidance of SADCAS; and The NAFP attended the SADC SQAM Annual Meetings held in March 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana World Accreditation Day Commemoration The World Accreditation Day celebration was published by the Notícias Newspaper, the electronic Esquento Newspaper and the Mozambique Radio announced the celebration. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES The Mozambique Association of Laboratories (ALM) organized training courses based on the quality and other events and meetings. INNOQ and the NAFP participated in activities and meetings of the Mozambique Association of Laboratories (ALM), as members. The General Assembly of the Mozambique Association of Laboratories was held on 11 December 2014, the agenda consisted of the following topics: The Adoption of the report of the 2014 activities; The Approval of the 2015 business plan; The Approval of the requirements to be part of the ALM expert pool; Information on the admission of new members of ALM; and Election of the corporate bodies of ALM for the period CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS Intensify the promotion of accreditation through events, distribution of promotional materials, visits and interviews with officials and employees of Conformity Assessment Bodies. The listed activities need financial support. Financial resources from the government/authorities and others.

42 P a g e 42 NAMIBIA PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING APRIL 2014 TO FEBRUARY 2015 Ms Lorna T. Shikongo-Kuvare from the Namibia Standard Institution (NSI) is the SADCA Stakeholder Member and the country s National Accreditation Focal Point (NAFP) office is housed at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). Contact Details: Ministry of Trade and Industry Block B, Brendan Simbwaye Square Goethe Street Private Bag Windhoek Namibia (t) (f) (e) kahipura@mti.gov.na or mkahipura@gmail.com PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING (PERIOD UNDER REVIEW) During the period under review, the Namibia NAFP and SADCAS CEO - Mrs. Mutasa visited selected Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) in the Otjozondjupa region, the objective of these visits was to highlight to the various CAB employees the importance of accreditation and the difference between accreditation and certification. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES World Accreditation Day World Accreditation Day was celebrated by hosting a Breakfast Meeting, which was attended by thirty (30) CABs representatives. A representative from the NSI delivered a presentation On the role of accreditation for certification bodies servicing the energy sector. Accreditation Status for Conformity Assessment Service During the reporting period, the South African National Accreditation conducted a surveillance assessment of the NSI Fisheries Inspectorate and Food Laboratory, and the assessment team has recommended continuous accreditation. Similarly, continuous accreditation was recommended for the NSI Mass and Volume Laboratory after SADCAS conducted a surveillance assessment. Training The NAFP attended the ISO Regional Workshop on the use of conformity assessment tools to achieve better regulatory outcomes held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 30 July - 1 August The workshop broadly aims to raise awareness, share experiences to ensure better understanding of the application and use of conformity assessment systems as tools to achieve market regulations and ensure consumer product safety. Four (4) CABs representatives participated in the assessors training that was held in Gaborone, Botswana on July This training was hosted under the auspices of the SADC European Development Fund

43 P a g e 43 (EDF) 10 Regional Economic Integration Support (REIS) Programme, in order to achieve SADCA s mission of providing credible and cost effective accreditation services. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS Proficiency testing has been raised as a constraint by laboratories, because costs of assessment testing materials are expensive and in turn results in Proficiency Testing being expensive. PLANS FOR 2015/16 One of the major activities planned for the year ahead is the establishment of the National Laboratory Association in conjunction with the NSI. The NAFP also plans to conduct a training needs assessment, to determine and identify which training courses are more preferred to Namibia CABSs and recommend to SADCAS for their intervention. LESSONS LEARNT In order to foster relationships between NAFPs and CABs it is advisable for NAFPs to be invited to attend training courses offered in their respective countries. Their attendance will give them more insight on the requirements of the standard. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS Capacity building initiatives on the requirements of conformity assessment standards, e.g. ISO/IEC and ISO/IEC Facilitate the organisation of Proficiency Testing Schemes at SADC level. Facilitate training of assessors at country level.

44 P a g e 44 REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES The Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) and the Ministry of Health are the main Conformity Assessment Bodies in the Seychelles. Other laboratories in Seychelles are the Agricultural Agency, laboratory at the Public Utility Corporation (PUC) and in-house Quality Control laboratory at the Indian Ocean Tuna Ltd (IOT). Contact Details: Seychelles Bureau of Standarsd (SBS) P.O Box 953 Mahe Seychelles (t) (f) (e) dgsbs@ .sc The SBS is responsible for Testing, Calibration, Inspection (fish and gas cylinder) and Certification. The Ministry of Health is responsible for public health and tests food, water, clinical and pharmaceutical samples. The Agriculture laboratory is responsible for testing soil, water, compost, fertilisers etc., and the PUC laboratory is responsible for testing of drinking water and IOT tests water and fish. The SBS has five (5) testing laboratories. Only two (2) laboratories in Seychelles are accredited and they are the National Metrology Laboratory (NML) and the Environment laboratory at SBS. The NML is responsible for Calibration in the country. NML is accredited for Calibration of Mass for the range 1 to 100g and the Environment Laboratory at SBS is accredited for seven (7) water tests for potable water. No other laboratories in the country are accredited yet. The Fish Inspection and Quality Control Unit (FIQCU) is part of SBS and is responsible for fish Inspection. The Certification Unit at SBS is responsible for system certification and product certification. These two units are still in the process of preparing for accreditation of inspection and certification services. The main export destination for fish in Seychelles is Europe. Seychelles has to ensure that the fish exported meet the requirement of the European Union (EU) Regulations. It is a requirement of the EU that samples of raw fish, processed fish and water and ice used for fish processing are tested in an accredited laboratory. The laboratories at the Seychelles Bureau of Standards are designated by the Competent Authority as Official Testing laboratories. The Drug Quality Control Laboratory within the Ministry of Health is in the process of accrediting its tests. PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING (MARCH 2014 JANUARY 2015) Testing A surveillance assessment was carried out at the Environment Laboratory in July 2014 and continued accreditation was granted for tests in water which were accredited. The tests which are accredited are ph, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sulphate, Chloride, Fluoride and Conductivity in potable water.

45 P a g e 45 Continuous breakdown of the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) affected the validation of test methods for heavy metals in fish. A new AAS was purchased and installed in September Training was provided to staff members in November 2014 and the new AAS is being used for testing of heavy metals in fish. Test methods will be validated using the new equipment. The previous AAS which was repaired will be used for water tests. The Food Chemistry Laboratory validated tests for histamine (HPLC method) in fish and will apply for accreditation in early The Chemical Analysis Laboratory validated two tests for coconut oil. The Microbiology Laboratory does not have a Microbiologist resulting in a delay in the preparation for accreditation. Local candidates were not available to occupy the position and the recruitment of an expatriate was not possible due to budget constraints. The Pharmaceutical Laboratory at the Ministry of Health received training in preparation of the documentation, internal audit and validation of methods. They are in the process of validating test methods. The Agriculture Laboratory has a facility and equipment, this laboratory carries out some basic tests. Calibration Assessors from the AB have carried out the surveillance audit at the National Metrology Laboratory in December NML is planning to extend the scope of mass accreditation and to accredit calibration of temperature, pressure and volume. Certification The system and product certification is the responsibility of the Certification Unit at SBS. This unit is reviewing and preparing procedures. The revision of regulation for Certification is being carried out. Inspection The FIQCU is a unit under the SBS. FIQCU has prepared a Quality Manual and procedures with the assistance of a consultant. This unit is in the process of carrying out internal audits. Training Training on ISO was conducted in September 2014 for two (2) new recruits in the laboratory. The Quality Manager at SBS provided recent copies of applicable SADCAS procedures to the Food Chemistry Laboratory and Environment Laboratory. Staff members at the Environment Laboratory at SBS were provided with training on the operation of Agilent AAS from 15 -to19 September 2014 and application training from November Trainings were conducted by the authorised engineers from the equipment supplier company. Staff members of the Chemical Analysis Laboratory were trained in coconut oil test at the Sri Lankan Standards Institute in February Staff members of the Drug Quality Control laboratory at the Ministry of health were trained on method validation and internal audit.

46 P a g e 46 Proficiency Testing/ Inter-Comparison Exercise The Microbiology laboratory at the SBS and the Public Health Laboratory participated in the Proficiency Testing (PT) programme for food and water with the Botswana Bureau of Standards. The Food Chemistry laboratory participated in the PT for histamine in fish with the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) in the UK. The Environment Laboratory at the SBS, Water Laboratory at the PUC and the Public Health Laboratory participated in the PT for water with SADCMET. The Environment Laboratory also participated in the PT for water with FERA and Aquacheck Water PT. the Environment Laboratory did not participate in the PT for heavy metals in fish with FERA since the test for heavy metals was not possible due to the breakdown of the equipment. Equipment The new AAS was installed in September A new microwave digester was received and installed in November Other equipment purchased includes a Refractometer, Sonifier and Magnetic stirrer hot plate. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES The SADCAS press release was published in the newspaper on the World Accreditation Day. SBS submitted project proposal for assistance from the EU Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) fund for equipment and other activities related to fish testing. The Chemical Analysis Laboratory received assistance from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in training the staff on coconut oil testing and to purchase certain resources for coconut oil testing. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS The lack of a Microbiologist is affecting the accreditation activities at the Microbiology Laboratory. The space limitation in laboratories, human resource constraint and other difficulties faced by an island nation affecting the testing services offered by most of the laboratories. SBS will be receiving assistance under African, Caribbean and Pacific(ACP) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) programme for ccapacity building to Strengthen SBS Conformity Assessment Services. Private companies are offering better working conditions to employees and therefore, staff trained by the Government/ Parastatal laboratories are leaving the organisation to jobs at private companies. PLANS FOR 2015/16 Validation of tests for heavy metals in fish; To accredit test for histamine in fish; To validate tests for coconut oil; To accredit the calibration of temperature and volume; and To apply for accreditation for the fish inspection service.

47 P a g e 47 LESSONS LEARNT It is important to ensure that trained and competent staff carry out testing, participate in Proficiency Testing programmes, have quality control programmes and ensure that staff are well trained. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS The recommendation is the same as the previous year, most of the laboratories are finding it difficult to validate test methods and calculate uncertainty of estimation as there is no qualified trainer in this field. All laboratories will benefit if SADCA could organise training on method validation and uncertainty estimation for Seychelles.

48 P a g e 48 SWAZILAND The NAFP continues to play a major role in promoting accreditation activities in the country. Awareness on accreditation is gradually increasing in Swaziland. PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING (PERIOD UNDER REVIEW). Contact Details: Accreditation awareness Ministry of Enterprise and Employment Standardisation and Quality Assurance Section Gwamile Street P.O Box 451 Mbabane Swaziland (t) (f) (e) sybilsthembiso@gmail.com ; dlamini.phindile@gmail.com Through the UNIDO project, a meeting for laboratory personnel was held at Ezulwini on 12 March The purpose of the meeting was to sensitize all laboratories about the established National Laboratory Association, benefits of joining the Association and how to subscribe. The NAFP gave a presentation on the importance of Accreditation and the function of SADCAS as an Accreditation body. The meeting was attended by 34 personnel. In the month of June, the NAFP together with the laboratory association undertook a visit to Senior Management of three Testing laboratories. The purpose was to sensitize them on the importance and benefits of accreditation and also to encourage them to join the association as there were benefits attached such as training. The Director of Water Affairs in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Deputy Director of environment in the Manzini municipalities and also the acting Director in the Geology department were visited. World Accreditation Day Commemoration In Swaziland, the World Accreditation Day was commemorated on 19 June The World Accreditation Day was held on 19 June 2014 instead of 9 June 2014 because the NAFP had collaborated with the Ministry of Natural Resources to commemorate this day since the theme focused on the Energy Sector. The Team needed more time to prepare for the event as there were lots of activities planned prior to the commemoration hence postponement of the date to the 19 June Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade partnered with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy and Galp Energia Swaziland (which provided T-Shirts) in commemorating this day since the theme focused on the energy sector. In an effort to raise accreditation awareness among stakeholders, the following activities were undertaken:

49 P a g e 49 Articles on accreditation were published in the local newspapers, the Swazi observer and the Times of Swaziland. Radio interactive programmes were conducted- a radio interactive programme is a programme which allows a person to talk over the radio and the public would be allowed to ask questions. A team composed of the two NAFPs and two energy officers conducted the programmes. For further awareness, the Chief Quality Systems Administrator and the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade were interviewed on different occasions about the World Accreditation Day. The team was also invited on a television breakfast show (Kusile) and distributed information to relevant stakeholders on accreditation. WORLD ACCREDITATION DAY The event started with a march led by a police band. The march began at 9h00am from the Mahhala Shopping Complex to Matsapha Town Council Conference Room, a distance of 2 to 3 kms where participants were going to be addressed by key speakers for the day. Government officials from different Ministries and the industry were present to commemorate this day. Participants wore T-shirts donated by Galp Energia Swaziland, a petroleum company in Swaziland. Upon reaching the Matsapha Town Council conference room, participants were registered and given promotional materials from SADCAS and -shirts bearing the theme. Presentations from different stakeholder s i.e Energy department, Swaziland Water Service Corporation and the NAFP were done. The representative of the Minister, Mrs Nonhlanhla Mnisi, and the Commissioner of Cooperatives gave a speech. Certificates were handed to participants who undertook training on ISO/IEC funded by UNIDO which was held from 7-11 April 2014 and conducted by SADCAS. A group photo which marked the end of the day was taken by all delegates who attended. On July , the Matsapha City Council invited the NAFP to make a presentation on the Importance of accreditation in the Green Economy. A lot of questions concerning accreditation and SADCAS were asked and the NAFPs answered them all. Present were the Municipality officials, representatives from the industry and Senior Government officials. The presentation on Accreditation was indeed an eye opener. From 29 August to 5 September 2014, Swaziland hosted the International Trade Fair. The Theme for this year was: Development Unusual: Integrating Business into vision The NAFP played a role by daily explaining the importance of accreditation to Conformity Assessment (CA) bodies personnel, Senior Government officials, and the public. To emphasize understanding on accreditation and SADCAS, a competition was run every day whereby questions on accreditation were asked and prizes would be given to the one who answered correctly. SADCAS pioneer newsletters were distributed to all stakeholders. From 23 to 25 September 2014, the NAFP undertook a visit to four laboratories in Swaziland. The purpose of the visit was to find out how much progress has been made following the training conducted by SADCAS on ISO/IEC from 7 to 11 April, The NAFP found that there is progress noted in all the laboratories visited. Two of the laboratories have started developing procedures, one laboratory has developed the quality manual but is in the process of implementing the standard but they are finding it difficult to do so. The NAFP further encouraged the laboratory personnel to continue with the development of quality Manuals for the laboratory.

50 P a g e 50 Promotional materials on all the key accreditation standards were distributed to all stakeholders in a bid to promote accreditation. Promotion of SADCAS During visits to the laboratories, top management is also informed of the regional accreditation body called SADCAS. in response, most of them gave assurance to the NAFP that they will work collaboratively with SADCAS now that they are well informed. Promotional materials on SADCAS were also distributed during the visits. Accreditation Status The first medical laboratory to obtain accreditation in Swaziland Lancet laboratories achieved accreditation. Training Through the UNIDO Project, 25 laboratory personnel from different laboratories in Swaziland received training on ISO/IEC from 7-11 April, The Training was conducted by SADCAS. Training on Uncertainty of measurement was held from 9-11 June for the candidates who had underwent training on ISO/IEC Handling of Enquiries The NAFP received six (6) enquiries and all the queries were handled. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES The two (2) NAFPs were afforded an opportunity to attend the Advanced International Training Programme - Quality Infrastructure Development in Support of World Trade in Sweden. During the training, the NAFPs had the privilege to visit SWEDAC which is the National Accreditation Body in Sweden. The visit to SWEDAC will help in the pursuing of accreditation activities in Swaziland CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS Challenges Budget constraints; More government owned CABs than private owned; Low response to training by CABs; and Diverse responsibilities by NAFPs. Interventions Use available resources; To get funding from donors; and Use support staff for easy tasks. PLANS FOR 2015/16 Marketing of accreditation; Promotion of SADCAS;

51 P a g e 51 Facilitation raining of CABs; Handling of enquiries; Facilitate payment of SADCAS subscriptions; and Commemorate the World Accreditation Day. LESSONS LEARNT Accreditation awareness in Swaziland is increasing. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SADCA INTERVENTIONS Swaziland needs capacity building on CABs.

52 P a g e 52 TANZANIA The National Accreditation Focal Point Office (NAFPO) continued to create awareness on the importance of accreditation and market services offered by the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS) through various means such as onsite visits to laboratories, organized training and seminars and through and telephone inquiry Contact Details: Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) Sam Nujoma / Morogoro Road Ubungo P.O Box 9524 Dar Es Salaam Tanzania (t) (f) (e) stella.mrosso@tbstz.org ; smrossocoll@yahoo.com PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING THE PERIOD OF MARCH 2014-FEBRUARY 2015 Training on Accreditation Standards During the period under review training on accreditation standards were conducted by different organizations: SADCAS conducted five (5) day training on ISO/IEC requirements and internal auditing from October 2014 at Mwanza. The training was attended by 15 participants. SADCAS conducted five (5) day training on ISO/IEC requirements and internal auditing from October 2014 at Mwanza. The training was attended by 17 participants. The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) conducted awareness training on laboratory quality management systems (ISO/IEC 17025) at the TBS Headquarters. The training was attended by 15 participants from different organizations. Training on General requirement for the competency of testing and calibration laboratories as per ISO/IEC (Hands on skill) was conducted at the TBS Headquarter. The training was attended by 20 participants from different organizations. TBS conducted two (2) days training on quality assurance and competency in Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) laboratories from February 2014 Capacity building of the laboratory staff Training on method validation and uncertainty of measurements was conducted by TBS trainers at Bagamoyo from April The training was attended by 15 participants. Marketing and promotion of SADCAS The NAFPO used different approaches to market and promote services offered by SADCAS as well as the importance of the accreditation to the potential stakeholders: The NAFP participated in the International Trade fair held at Dar es Salaam Tanzania from 3-10 July 2015

53 and distributed 40 SADCAS promotional materials on the benefit of accreditation and process of accreditation. The March and November 2015 SADCAS Newsletters were circulated electronically to 50 stakeholders. The NAFP Officer distributed 20 SADCAS brochures during the commemoration of World accreditation day conducted on 9 June World Accreditation Day Tanzania held a half day meeting to commemorate World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2014 and the theme was Accreditation-Delivering Confidence in Provision of Energy. The meeting was attended by 63 stakeholders who came from private and public testing/ calibration laboratories, inspection and certification bodies. OTHER INFORMATION ON RELATED ACTIVITIES Accreditation Status Accredited laboratory All accredited testing and calibration laboratories still maintained their accreditation status. During the period under review three medical laboratories were granted certificates of accreditation by SADCAS. These include: P a g e 53 The National Health Quality Assurance and Training Centre (NHQATC) in February 2014; The Bugando Medical Centre in February 2014; and The Mbeya Referral Hospital in February Initial Assessment SADCAS conducted initial assessments at the following testing laboratories: The Tanzania Bureau of Standards Chemistry laboratory in June 2014; The Tanzania Bureau of Standards Textile/Condom testing laboratory in June 2014; The Tanzania Mineral Auditing Agency chemistry laboratory in November 2014; The Mwanza Zonal Water Quality laboratory (MZWQL) in November 2014; and The Government Chemistry Agency Laboratory in November Pre Assessments SADCAS conducted pre assessments at the following laboratories: The TBS Electrical laboratory in June 2014; The TBS Mechanical Laboratory in June 2014; and The TBS Building and Construction laboratory in June Proficiency Testing (PT) Participation Both accredited and non-accredited laboratories continued to participate in PT. TBS provided Proficiency Testing Scheme in edible salt and honey PT samples. During the period under review,

54 PT samples were dispatched on 26 September 2014 to 32 participants from Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia. Meeting/Seminars Attended The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat organized a one (1) day meeting on 13 November 2014 on laboratory designation as per requirement in the SQMT Act The NAFPO made a presentation on the overview of ISO/IEC and the accreditation process. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS P a g e 54 The lack of formal recognition of NAFP roles by stakeholders; The lack of a second NAFP to assist with the implementation of the NAFP action plan; The lack of adequate state of art equipment to meet the scope of the work; The lack of experts on preventive and maintenance of the equipment; The lack of reference materials to be able to perform quality control; and The lack of PT providers to cover different scope of work. PLANS FOR 2015/16 Key Strategies Activity Target Date Key Performance Indicator 1 Market, promote the importance and benefit of accreditation and Prepare at least one (1) seminar on Accreditation Awareness April- June 2014 Seminars held and number of request for accreditation application service offered by SADCAS Participate in International Trade Fair July, Record of attendance to the international trade fair Prepare presentation on importance of Accreditation and Service offered by SADCAS Distribute SADCAS promotional material like: -B and pamphlets on the importance and benefits of accreditation - Three (3) SADCAS Newsletters. - SADCAS training on accreditation related standards During World Metrology day June 2015 ongoing activity ongoing activity On-going activity Presentation made Number of applicants for accreditation. Record of the Newsletters distributed. Number of application for training. Organize and February Number of

55 Key Strategies Activity Target Date Key Performance Indicator conduct National March 2015 meetings held. Accreditation Task Force Meetings Commemorate World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2015 by -Distributing WAD press released to stakeholders -Preparing accreditation posters -Conducting symposium June 2015 Record of press released distributed Record of accreditation posters produced Number of presentation made Visit to accredited and non-accredited facilities Handle accreditation inquiries April October 2015 On-going Number of the facilities visited Number of accreditation inquiries handled P a g e 55 2 Progress Report on the Accreditation 3 Establish pool of trained assessors 4 Maintain Database of CABs operating in Tanzania 5 Capacity building in Testing and Calibration Laboratories Prepare four (4) quarterly country report on accreditation Prepare Annual Country report on all issue related to accreditation within the country Identify potential candidates to be trained as assessor on different CABs as per SADCAS guidelines Circulation of survey questionnaire to CABs within country Organize training of laboratory staff on: Uncertainty of Measurements and Method Validation Internal Auditing As per agreed deadline On-going activity On-going activity On-going activities depending on the availability of resources On time submission of quarterly report to SADCAS and Annual Country report on accreditation activities to SADCA secretariat Number of training made and record of the trained assessors Total number of questionnaires circulated and responses received Number of training made

56 Key Strategies Activity Target Date Key Performance Indicator personnel P a g e 56 Organize training on ISO on cost sharing basis. April September 2015 Number of training made Organize training of the Internal Auditors for the identified labs on cost sharing basis. On-going activities Number of training made Organize training on ISO/IEC August - October 2015 Number of training made 6 Capacity building of the Inspection Bodies 7 Strengthen the effectiveness of the NAFP work Organize training on ISO/IEC Attend NAFP annual meetings -Develop National Action plan September- December 2015 As per schedule Number of training made Record of attendance To the annual meeting Submission of the national action plan on time LESSONS LEARNT Training on accreditation standards were provided by other organization within the country at a lesser cost compared to SADCAS. There is no pressure to accredit conformity assessment bodies because accreditation is not considered as a priority during planning. Most organizations do not allocate enough funds for accreditation issues including training, document review and accreditation application fees. Tanzania as an EAC member implements SQMT Act of 2006 and its regulations that require designation of testing laboratories to facilitate trade in the common market. SQMT regulation provided procedures for designation of accredited and non-accredited laboratories. The NAFP work plan was not effectively implemented due to work load provided by the employer. RECOMMENDATION FOR SADCAS INTERVENTIONS SADCAS needs to increase the number of trained technical Assessors in order to meet future demand on accreditation services for laboratories emerging from higher learning institutions and the Tanzanian Ministry of Water.

57 P a g e 57 ZAMBIA Contact Details: Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry P.O Box Lusaka Zambia (t) (f) Ms. Mwenya Chisheta and Mr. Dismas Chapula represented Zambia as the first and Second NAFP representatives from January 2014 to December They implemented the SADCAS work as outlined in the Work plan. Ms. Mwenya and Mr. Chapula have been replaced by Mr. Moses Ngosa as the first NAFP and Mrs. Gladys Banda as the second NAFP, both from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry. PROGRESS ON ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING (PERIOD UNDER REVIEW) Preparation of the Annual Work Plan The NAFP prepared the annual work plan as a guide to implement SADCAS activities. The following activities were placed on the work plan and submitted to SADCAS: (e) aaronmutale@yahoo.com Effectively promote and market the benefits and importance of accreditation and SADCAS services; Build capacity and capability of SADCAS; and Grow Company s own generated revenue and develop SADCAS into a sustainable and dynamic organization at the cutting edge of accreditation service delivery. Survey of Conformity Assessment Bodies in Zambia The NAFP facilitated in the circulation of a questionnaire to identify technical regulations that are causing or may cause problems in the import and export of goods within the SADC Region to the relevant stakeholders such as technical regulations regulators, sector organisations, and the private sector among others. The study was initiated by the SADC Technical Regulations Liaison Committee (SADCTRLC). The NAFP took advantage of this exercise to visit and promote the importance of accreditation and SADCAS to conformity Assessment Bodies in Zambia. A total of 20 Institutions responded to the questionnaire and the responses were submitted to SADCTRLC. Sensitization Programme of Accreditation Services Offered by SADCAS During the period under review, the NAFP conducted several awareness activities on services offered by SADCAS. The activities included:

58 P a g e 58 An accreditation discussion with the Zambia National Laboratory Association (ZNLA) during the AGM on 13 February, 2014; At the commemoration celebration of the World Standards Day organized by the Zambia Bureau of Standards; and At the Zambia National Laboratory Association Method Validation and Measurement Uncertainty Workshop from November, 2014 Kitwe, Zambia. The NAFP made a presentation on the importance of accreditation and the services offered by SADCAS. SADC Standard, Quality, Accreditation and Metrology Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana The NAFP did not attend the 30 th SADC Standard, Quality, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM) meeting held from 18 TO 24 March, 2014 in Gaborone, Botswana. Commemoration of World Accreditation Day The NAFP facilitated the commemoration of World Accreditation Day in the following ways: A press releases was published on 9 June 2014 in the following newspapers: the Post newspaper, Zambia Daily Mail and the Times of Zambia; The Launch Statement by the Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry which focused on advertising the work of SADCAS. He raised awareness that Zambia has only one accredited laboratory and that Zambia does not have an Accreditation Body. Further, the article did also appeal to the public to consider getting accreditation services from SADCAS by contacting the NAFP-Zambia at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry who are the link between Zambia and SADCAS; and An article was published with the main focus on sensitizing the public on accreditation and the importance of accreditation. 7 th Annual NAFP Meeting The NAFPs were unable to attend the 7 th Annual NAFP Meetings due to unavailability of resources at the time. Proficiency Testing (PT) The NAFP participated at the Zambia National Laboratory Association Water Proficiency Testing Scheme Evaluation Workshop from 18 to 19 August The primary aim of the ZNLA Proficiency Testing Scheme was to provide a quality assurance tool to laboratories in Zambia and to compare performance and take remedial action where necessary and facilitate improvements. A total of 16 participants confirmed participation however 11 of them did not return results. DataBase The NAFPs continued to work with the Zambia National Laboratory Association in compiling the Conformity Assessment Bodies data base. OTHER INFORMATION RELATED ACTIVITIES The following activities were undertaken in the period under review:

59 P a g e 59 In order to enhance capacity in Quality Infrastructure development the NAFP attended the ISO/Finnish Project workshop organized by Zambia Bureau of Standards aimed at strengthening National Quality Infrastructure Structure. The NAFP attended a Referencing Standards in Technical Regulations workshop from December The purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness on referencing standards in technical regulations in order to strengthen the legal and Regulatory framework for standards as well as creation of an effective process for legislating standards. As a result of the sensitization programmes conducted during the period under review, the NAFP received inquiries on accreditation services offered by SADCAS from SCAW Limited, a company that manufactures bolts and nuts. The inquiry was made with a view of expanding its laboratory. Another inquiry was received from Nkana Water and Sewerage Company Limited, a company that treats and supplys water. The inquiry was made with a view of having its laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC One of Zambia s largest copper mining company, Konkola Copper Mines Limited (KCM) is in the process of having its laboratories accredited in ISO/IEC by SADCAS. KCM is preparing its quality manual, procedures and working documents among others to prepare the laboratory for accredited. Its personnel have been trained in the Method Validation and Measurement Uncertainty as a pre-requite for ISO/IEC Accreditation. The NAFP attended the Zambia National Laboratory Association Method Validation and Measurement Uncertainty Workshop from November 2014 in Kitwe, Zambia. The primary aim of the workshop was to provide a quality assurance tool to laboratories in Zambia. Method validation is an essential component of the measure that laboratories should employ to ensure that they produce accurate and reliable results, hence ensuring business continuity and is also pre-requite for ISO/IEC Accreditation. The NAFP facilitated in the application and confirmation of tthree Zambian candidates selected for the Lead and Technical Assessor Training which was scheduled for March, The NAFP attended a Consultative Stakeholder s Workshop on Zambia s National Quality Award Programme from 31 July to 2 August The Quality Award Programme is expected to be rolled out in The Award Programme is expected to encourage local producers, manufacturers and service providers to strictly align their operations in accordance with international best practices. CHALLENGES AND INTERVENTIONS The following are some of the challenges that are being faced by the NAFP in executing SADCAS activities: Lack of financial support from SADCAS to effectively implement its activities; and Lack of promotion materials from SADCAS for public distribution and display. PLANS FOR 2015/16 Activity Responsible Institution Time SADCAS Awareness NAFPs/SADCAS 01/02/15-28/02/16 Data Base creation NAFPs/ZNLA 01/07/15-31/12/15 Training/ Courses SADCAS/PARTNERS 01/03/15-28/12/15 Inspection of CABs NAFPs 30/06/15-30/11/15

60 P a g e 60 LESSONS LEARNT The following are the lessons learnt: There is a need to strengthen the office of the NAFP by providing adequate funding in order to ensure activities and reports are done in time; and SADCAS should provide materials in order to reinforce sensitization and awareness programmes.

61 P a g e 61 ZIMBABWE World Accreditation Day Commemoration Contact Details: Standards Association of Zimbabwe Northridge Park, Northend Close Borrowdale Harare Zimbabawe (t) (f) (e) directorgeneral@zol.co.zaw or egadzikwa@saz.org.zw The World Accreditation Day (WAD) Commemoration conference was held in August 2014 at Victoria Falls, it was a joint conference between the Zimbabwe National Quality Assurance Program (ZINQAP) Annual Scientific Conference, the 7 th Africa Society for Blood Transfusion and members of the National Laboratories Association of Zimbabwe (NLAZ). The objective of the conference was to raise awareness on the importance of accreditation. The workshop was attended by delegates from medical laboratories and experts in the various medical fields from and outside Zimbabwe. The presentations delivered at the workshop focused on the various topics of accreditation awareness and that generated interests amongst the participants who attended. The Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) Chief Executive Office (CEO) was invited to present on the accreditation progress in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. A press release for WAD was published on 9 June 2014 in Zimbabwe s local newspapers National Annual Quality Awards During the period under review, the National Standards, Quality, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM) Committee organized its third National Annual Quality Awards (NAQA) competition in October 2014 and winners qualified to enter the SADC Quality Awards. The 2014 NAQA Awards were widely publicized in the press which increased the visibility of quality issues in Zimbabwe. The competition which also promoted accreditation covered five (5) categories namely: company of the year, product of the year, service of the year, exporter of the year, and SADC SQAM individual award of the Year. Schweppes Zimbabwe, Minute Maid was named product of the year by SADC Annual Quality Awards Competition at the regional level. This brings the total to six regional awards Zimbabwe has won since the inception of the competition. Marketing Awareness The marketing awareness activities undertaken during the period under review were the following: The National Accreditation Focal Point (NAFP) participated at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2014 and six (6) agricultural shows were held in the major cities across the country namely Harare, Gweru, Mutare, Lupane, Gwanda and Masvingo during the months of August and September 2014.

62 P a g e 62 Zimbabwe promoted accreditation through various marketing activities such as participation and attendance on accreditation certificate handover ceremonies officiated by the SADCAS CEO. The NAFP attended the Medical Clinical Scientists Council of Zimbabwe with the SADCA Board Members. A second meeting was held with the SADCAS CEO. The NAFPs attended meetings the Chitungwiza Hospital staff and Advisory Committee meeting of regulators. SADCAS promotional materials such as diaries and fliers were distributed to CABs during meetings to promote and raise awareness of the benefits of accreditation. Training The Zimbabwe NAFP attended the ISO/IEC training course held in Gaborone, Botswana in NAFPs also facilitated SADCAS ISO/IEC and training in October and November 2014 respectively. 7th NAFP Annual Meeting The annual NAFP meeting was not held in One of the Zimbabwe NAFP attended the year end SQAM meeting held in Angola in March SADCAS continued to provide support to the Zimbabwe NAFP and undertook visits to review country activities and accreditation applications. The NAFP administrative arm of SADCAS continues to work to improve awareness of accreditation at national level. Accreditation Update As at 31 December 2014 SADCAS had issued eight (8) accreditation certificates in Zimbabwe for the following scopes: three (3) for Inspection, one (1) for Medical laboratories, three (3) for Testing laboratories and one (1) for Calibration. Ten new applications were submitted to SADCAS for the following scopes: one (1) Calibration, five (5) for Testing, four (4) for Medical and two (2) for Inspections by the end of Government Contribution to SADCAS The Zimbabwe government continued to support the NAFP activities by providing an annual budget of USD $ towards accreditation efforts. Formation of the Accreditation Advisory Committee National Social Security Authority (NSSA) a Zimbabwe local Inspection regulator and independent Inspection Bodies in Zimbabwe met regularly during the period under review with Inspection bodies to discuss local accreditation requirements related issues. Two (2) new applications were submitted to SADCAS for accreditation. NSSA continues to monitor compliance of Inspection bodies to accreditation requirements through the accreditation advisory committee updates to assure competence of Inspection bodies. Estimate Realization for the Periods 1 April to 31 December 2014 As at 31 December 2014 estimate realization for the Zimbabwe NAFP was 73%.

63 P a g e 63 Future plans Future plans for accreditation are on-going from the previous period and efforts to strengthen awareness will remain a key focus for the NAFP and SADCA Representative. Future plans are as following: Preparation for ISO/IEC Accreditation Due to regulatory requirements by NSSA, a number of conformity assessment bodies are at an advanced stage of preparing for accreditation according to ISO/IEC Preparation for ISO/IEC Accreditation Zimbabwe is witnessing an increase in applications from medical and testing laboratories due to a heightened awareness of the benefits of accreditation and efforts by SADCAS through the NAFPs promotional activities. Preparation for ISO/IEC Accreditation On-going training by laboratory personnel on ISO/IEC requirements in preparation for accreditation will be conducted. Mentoring and Evaluation of Trainee Assessors Under the SADC/European Union (EU) SQAM Project with the sponsorship from PTB, Zimbabwe will continue to participate in a program for mentoring and evaluation of trainee assessors in line with SADCAS plans to build a pool of competent assessors. Challenges Level of preparedness of laboratories. Multiple tasks of NAFPs. Resource constraints to support Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) accreditation needs.

64 P a g e 64 INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION It is important to ensure that SADCA continuously participates in the existing global and regional networks of recognised accreditation bodies, particularly the EA, ILAC and IAF arrangements. These arrangements build upon existing and developing regional arrangements established globally. The benefits of participating include: SADCA is a Stakeholder Member of the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Participating in the decision making of the EA, ILAC and IAF s General Assemblies and Committees; Exchanging information on the development and operations of similar regional accreditation cooperations. SADCA is a Regional Accreditation Body Member of ILAC and IAF; The SADCA Chair represents SADCA on the IAF Executive Committee; The SADCA Regional Coordinator represents SADCA on the ILAC Executive Committee; SADCA signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement with IAAC in 2004 and with AFRAC in 2014; Date Organisation and activity March April September October February 2015 SADC SQAM Annual Meetings ILAC/IAF Meetings Mid-Year 5th AFRAC General Assembly Meetings Joint General Meetings ILAC/IAF Assembly SADCA EXCO Meeting Location Gaborone, Botswana Frankfurt, Germany Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Vancouver Pretoria, South Africa Attended by SADCA Members SADCA Chair, Members SADCA Chair SADCA EXCO SADCA participates in AFRAC Meetings, SADC meetings, tripartite meetings and other relevant regional accreditation meetings March 2015 SADC SQAM Annual Meetings Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo SADCA Members

65 P a g e 65 REGIONAL PARTICIPATION AFRICAN ACCREDITATION COOPERATION (AFRAC) AFRAC held its fifth General Assembly Meetings from September 2014 at the Elilly International Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meetings were hosted by the Ethiopian National Accreditation Office (ENAO). The meetings included the Executive Committee (EXCO), Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) Committee and Technical Committee (TC) meetings. AFRAC is a Regional Accreditation Cooperation Member of both ILAC and IAF; AFRAC signed its first MRA Signatories in September 2014; AFRAC signed a Technical Cooperation with the IAAC on 29 August 2014; AFRAC held its fifth General Assembly in September 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The following workshops were also held during the course of the General Assembly Meetings: The AFRAC MRA Decision Making (ISO/IEC and IAF/ILAC A2, A3 and A5) Workshop, New Members Orientation; New and Emerging Accreditation Bodies Workshop and the National Accreditation Focal Point Workshop. The workshops were aimed at providing information regarding AFRAC to new and potential members. Elections were held for three (3) office bearers according to the AFRAC Bylaws. The following office bearers were elected for the period September September 2015: AFRAC Chair: Mr Ron Josias ( SANAS CEO) (re-elected); MRA Committee Vice Chair: Eng. Mahmoud Eltayeb (EGAC) (reelected);and Technical Committee Vice Chair: Mr Adel Rezk (EGAC) (re-elected). The 2015 AFRAC General Assembly was announced to be hosted by the Tunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC) in Tunisia. Group photo of the AFRAC guests at the 5 th AFRAC General Assembly Meeting