By Alieu Amara Suwu
Making his opening statement at the ongoing budget policy hearing at the Ministry of Finance on 26 September 2022, Howard David W.S. Banya, Senior Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) stated that most sicknesses are from the food we eat, so if the Standard Bureau is not supported, equipped and empowered, we will continue eating expired foods, get sick and die.
Hinga Sandi, Minister of MTI, endorsed the Senior Permanent Secretary’s statement by calling on the need to empower the Bureau, whose mandate is to conduct tests on materials or products with a view to ensuring compliance with standards designated and approved by the Nation Standards Council; to undertake investigations where necessary, into the quality of facilities, materials and products in Sierra Leone; to prepare and distribute standards samples; and to ensure quality infrastructure embracing Metrology, standards, conformity assessment systems inspection, testing and certification. The support, he said is because is to ascertain the quality, efficacy and originality of goods, especially food commodities, so when they do their tests and findings they will be facts and not based on hypothesis, thus, it cannot be challenged in court or anywhere.
Presenting the Bureau’s budget, Amadu Jogor Bah, Deputy Director of the Bureau, said for the Financial Year of 2022, they presented a recurrent budget of 7.8 Billion old Leone and a capital budget of 20.5 Billion Old Leones. At the time of speaking, he confirmed that out of the 4,000,000,000.00 old Leones approved by the Ministry of Finance, they have actually received Le 850.00, no allocation to capital received for capital budget, and that gives a variance of Le 3,150,000.00 between what was approved by the Ministry of Finance and what the Ministry has released to them.
Among challenges he talked on, the major ones include: extension of the Bureau to the provinces and major entry points to increase visibility, settlement of obligations to international standards organisations such as ARSO, ISO AFSEC, IEC, OMIL; provisions of logistics, vehicles, motor cycles to enhance mobility and effective implementation of their activities and procurement of additional laboratory equipment, chemicals and consumables. He talked the deliverables and the achievements for the financial year of 2022.
Jogor Bah, for 2023 Financial Year said they will need a budget of NLe 4,392.5 for key deliverables, among others he said are verification of weighing instruments, pattern approval and metrification in the manufacturing sector, general trade and commerce with a view to ensure fairness in trade and value for money; and increase in market surveillance inspection at border posts and Airport to prevent dumping of substandard products.
The Sierra Leone Standard Bureau as Government Agency is charged with responsibility of testing all goods to ensure the health and safety of people, to verify and calibrate all weights, weighing and measuring instruments to ensure fair trade practices, as well as developing standards and a sound quality infrastructure.
Civil Societies present questioned the Bureau on the standardisation of products imported and company, and how they have been implementing their key mandates. Non-State Actors (NSA) asked the Minister what is going on with price control locally.
