Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini National Quality Awards has recorded a whopping 168 entrants since its inception in 2017 considering that members of the public are just starting to understand the importance of quality and standards issues.
This is a positive sign that Eswatini products and services will begin to be competitive in the international market which has a potential to increase the country’s exports both for goods and services.
Phindile Dlamini, the Chief Quality Systems in the Department of Regulatory and Quality Infrastructure Development (RQID) says there is a panel of judges that goes through each application before recommending the shortlisted entrants. “The panel of judges does a tremendous job each year going through the applications and shortlisting the entrants for awarding”, she added.
After going through a judging process, a total of 35 winners were awarded at national level excluding runners up. For the regional awards, 67 Eswatini companies and individuals including runners up were shortlisted to participate in the SADC Awards. Out of the 67 entrants, a total of five companies/organisations and individuals were awarded at regional level.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade will once again host the Eswatini Quality Awards 2022 in November this year.
The fifth Annual Eswatini Quality Awards 2022 is now open for entrants and application should be submitted physically at the regulatory and quality infrastructure department, Gwamile Street, DPM’S Office premises.
The applications can also be submitted electronically through the email addresses stipulated in the entry forms which are downloadable from the government website https://www.gov.sz/index.php/eswatini-quality-awards-category-forms-2022.
The quality awards, fully funded by government, aim at recognising organisations that have made a conscious effort and commitment in promoting quality culture in Eswatini through the use of quality principles, practices and management systems in their business operations. The awards are held annually and organisations in public and private sector are encouraged to participate.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry Siboniso Nkambule said there would be six categories of the Awards, Eswatini Company or Organisation of the Year, Eswatini Product of the Year, Eswatini Service of the Year, Eswatini Exporter of the Year, Eswatini Conformity Assessment Body of the Year and Eswatini Quality Individual of the Year.
Various companies and individuals have been awarded for the outstanding effort they put in recognition of quality as an initiative to improve their organisations, products, service or assessment body over the years.
The Eswatini Quality Awards are a product of a regional initiative where in 2009 the SADC council of ministers of trade collectively agreed to establish the Regional Quality Awards and National Quality Awards. Winners at national level then qualify to be entrants in the SADC Quality Awards.
One of the 2022 SADC Quality Awards winners, Dumsile Sibandze from the National Molecular Reference Laboratory started participating in the national quality awards in 2019 as individual and it was only in 2021 when she entered for the regional quality awards after being an overall winner at national level however she received her award in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awards
Sibandze said entering for the regional awards was an easy process as the forms are similar to those at national level. “However, the eevidence to support the claims indicated in the motivation letter was a bit of a challenge. However it also helped to identify areas of improvement for future considerations”, she added.
Furthermore, Sibandze said as an individual, participation was for “fulfilling the emotional need which I felt from within (a feeling of being awarded for the work I considered myself to be rendering to the unit)”. The organisation gets its services know and the public get confidence with the services and products provided in the organisation.
“Participating in the Awards also shows our Quality partners the fruits of their support to the organisation and it serves as an opportunity to market the quality culture in the country and the region”, she added.
Sibandze encouraged members of the public to participate in the quality awards to improve their quality competency, quality product and services. “Participation in the quality awards is for everyone. I believe there is a lot of good that people are doing out there. But for some reason, people always think this is not for them”, she said.
She then requested government to create more awareness on the Awards through sensitisation workshops to spread the gospel.
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