GNBS exceeds annual targets, set to launch national quality strategy – Minister Rodrigues

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has surpassed its annual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and is now tasked with strengthening the country’s national quality infrastructure across all sectors.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, said the Bureau will next year focus on a national quality policy designed to formalise stakeholder interactions and reinforce standards nationwide.

“The policy seeks to ensure that products meet defined standards and requirements in both the public and private sectors. Additionally, in collaboration with CROSQ and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, the Bureau has developed a national standardisation strategy for 2026 to 2028,” Minister Rodrigues stated.

Highlighting the Bureau’s achievements, the minister noted that 22 national standards have been implemented, with another 11 awaiting approval.

“KPIs enable companies to make informed business decisions about the direction of their projects,” she added.

To support GNBS’s work, the Government has invested in facilities and training. Most recently, the Bureau opened its state-of-the-art building, now home to 26 laboratories. These upgraded labs allow GNBS to expand testing and calibration services, including verification of larger tanker wagons, more efficiently.

Over the past year, GNBS trained nearly 900 individuals, with 60 women-led businesses receiving guidance on both national and international standards. Twenty-seven businesses also earned the prestigious Made in Guyana standards mark.

Minister Rodrigues underscored the Bureau’s growing regional influence.

“The reputation of GNBS continues to extend beyond our borders. Over the past year, GNBS assisted the Bahamas in becoming ISO 9001 certification ready, provided metrology training, hosted interns from St Vincent and the Grenadines, and delivered calibration services to Surinamese counterparts,” she said.

Looking ahead, GNBS will begin verifying chargers used for electric vehicles, and the Made in Guyana programme criteria will be expanded to include export requirements.