Africa-Press – Mauritius. An one-day Awareness Workshop on the theme “Implementation of MS ISO 9001 in Local Authorities” is being held, today, at the City Council of Port Louis, at the joint initiative of the Ministry of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management and the Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB).
The opening was held in the presence of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Anwar Husnoo, the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, and the General Manager of the MSB, Mrs Deveena Boygah. Some 25 Chairpersons and Chief Executives from the 12 Local Authorities across the country are participating.
In his keynote address, Vice-Prime Minister Husnoo underlined the importance for Local Authorities to deliver enhanced services to the population adding that the implementation of ISO 9001:2015 in the Municipalities and District Councils will help ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services.
He recalled that Local Authorities, in a bid to transform and modernise, have embarked on a series of digitisation and technological innovation projects, through the implementation of the I-Council project in all local communities. The project, he added, includes a Council Project Management System, Asset Management System, Geographical Information System, and an Automatic Scavenging Monitoring System. He emphasised that digitalisation and streamlining of processes will promote better performance, improve management efficiency and effectiveness, and enhance service delivery.
Dr Husnoo further indicated that the I-Council project has already been implemented at Moka District Council and Savanne District Council. Four more councils will complete their projects by the end of December 2021, he said.
He underlined that the ISO project will complement the I-Council project. Lauding the implementation of ISO 9001 in Local Authorities, Dr Husnoo stated that it will greatly contribute to enhance customer satisfaction, motivate staff, improve image of Local Authorities, and help review process and policies.
For his part, Minister Bholah underscored that Local Authorities need to continuously update their standards to maintain a high level of service, while improving sustainability. Newly revised guidelines help local authorities to improve their activities and align them with local needs and expectations, for healthier, happier communities, he said.
He further highlighted that conformance to international standards is not a matter of choice, but necessity. As a result, the implementation of ISO 9001 Quality Management System will help assist in the transformation of municipalities and District Councils, he said.
Also present, the General Manager of the MSB, Mrs Deveena Boygah, pointed out that with a mandate to manage everything from infrastructure to sewerage and public lighting, citizens expect a lot from their local governments. Hence the need, she added, to implement a Quality Management System which will help them to improve their activities and align them with local needs and expectations, for healthier, happier communities.
She expressed confidence that the ISO project in Local Authorities will not only help create a disciplined working system, optimal use of resources, well-maintained public infrastructure, transparency, and continuous improvement but will also help promote their image.
ISO 9001 standard in Local Authorities
ISO 9001 is the international standard for a quality management system. The standard is used by organisations to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements and to demonstrate continual improvement.
Often Local Authorities face numerous institutionalised obstacles which hinder their operations to provide a better service at many levels. With the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, Municipalities and District Councils will gain a centralised oversight on their day to day activities and raise the general level of their services, while meeting the needs of their stakeholders.
