Barbados is one of 15 CARIFORUM members that will benefit from a new 3 million Euros (approximately BDS$7 million) initiative to strengthen their quality infrastructure (QI).
The support includes the development of QI-related policies, regulations, and frameworks that align with international best practices, preparation of enterprises and institutions for accreditation and certification, training for public and private sector organisations to strengthen technical expertise, promotion of QI services to increase awareness and uptake among businesses, and the implementation of national quality awards programmes to showcase excellence.
The project is being implemented by the Barbados-based CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) in collaboration with the German National Metrology Institute (PTB) and the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL).
Funded by the European Union (EU), through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Support Programme, the programme will run until November 2027.
Termed the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Phase III Project, its initiative will strengthen regional and national QI frameworks and institutions, enhance the competencies of private and public sector QI organisations like the Barbados National Standards Institution, and raise awareness of the value of QI to the region’s development.
In addition to Barbados, the project will benefit CARIFORUM members Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,
St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
CROSQ chief executive officer Dr Sharonmae Smith-Walker explained that through this initiative, businesses will gain greater ability to meet international standards, expand exports, and gain consumer trust.
Governments and institutions will also benefit from stronger regulatory systems, improved policy alignment, and greater capacity to deliver QI services. She further noted that consumers will benefit from safer, higher-quality goods and services across the region.
Sheldon Jackman, project manager with the EU Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean said that “by empowering businesses, governments, and institutions to meet international standards, this initiative will boost trade, enhance competitiveness, and deliver safer, higher-quality goods and services to Caribbean consumers”.
PTB and INDOCAL are serving as project managers and project implementers, respectively.
“By supporting quality infrastructure and strengthening regional trade and economic cooperation in the Caribbean, this follow-up project will have a significant impact on the improvement of trade opportunities, creating new possibilities for enterprises and enhancing their integration into the world economy,” noted Moritz Ackermann, PTB’s head of subsection institutional partnerships.
Nestor Julio Matos Urena, director general of the Dominican Institute for Quality, stated: “This initiative reflects our commitment to continuous improvement and further reinforces the strong ties of collaboration established with organisations such as CROSQ and PTB, whose support has been essential to the development of our capabilities and services.”
Those involved in the initiative said that it builds on the achievements of the EPA TBT Programme, which successfully advanced QI in CARIFORUM. Like its predecessor, TBT Phase III is designed to support intra and extra-regional trade and boost the competitiveness of CARIFORUM products in global markets. (SC/PR)
The post Quality infrastructure getting a boost appeared first on nationnews.com.