The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat will co-host the 33rd Annual Meetings of the Southern African Development Community Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Cooperation Structures which will lay the framework for the continued implementation of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Annex to SADC Protocol on Trade at the Birchwood Hotel from 12-16 March 2018.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies explains that the meeting, which will be attended by representatives from all 16 SADC Member States coincides with South Africa’s Chairpersonship of the SADC Council of Ministers, which commenced on 17 August 2017.

According to Davies, SADC member states that will be attending the meeting will be represented by officials with expertise in the standards, accreditation, technical regulations, metrology and the legal metrology fraternity.

“In July 2014, the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade approved a revised Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Extension. This then led to the formation of a formal framework wherein cooperation amongst regulators, stakeholders and the national institutions for standardisation, quality assurance, accreditation and metrology can take place.

Davies further adds that the SADC Protocol on Trade aims to progressively eliminate unnecessary TBTs amongst the SADC members and other regional and international trading blocks and promote an infrastructure for quality.

The week-long programme which will commence on Sunday, 11 March 2017 with pre-meetings, will consist of workshops and committee meetings and the week’s deliberations will build-up to a SADC Annual Quality Awards dinner which will be take place on Wednesday, 14 March 2017.

The awards will recognise companies from SADC Member States for their robust use and implementation of standards and quality procedures in their operations that have positively contributed to the growth of their businesses, as well as product competitiveness. This ceremony will also create increased awareness of the importance of a quality culture in pursuit of product competitiveness and increased trade.
 

Issued by the Department of Trade and Industry