The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) will host a stakeholder engagement meeting to inform residents of Exuma about the organization’s current and future operations on the island and throughout The Bahamas. Scheduled for December 6 at 12pm at St Andrew’s Parish Hall in Georgetown, Exuma, the meeting is open to all residents of Exuma’s mainland and surrounding cays.
BBSQ representatives will discuss the following: the mandate and role of the Bureau in establishing quality infrastructure; development and promotion of national standards in various industries and the role of metrology in providing accurate and reliable measurements for trade.
“The purpose of this meeting is really to raise public awareness and sensitize residents to the important work that BBSQ is doing to develop and maintain national standards that are on par with regional and international regulations. At BBSQ, we believe that this work is essential for the quality development of businesses and trade, both local and international. It is important to the growth of island economies throughout the archipelago and to national development. It is not possible to participate in the international markets without conforming to recognized standards,” said Dr Renae Ferguson-Bufford, BBSQ Director.
“Our Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper has gone on record as saying that Exuma will be a hub for the Central and Southern Bahamas and for our nearest Caribbean neighbors when it comes to tourism. We agree that the island chain can be a leader in areas such as investment, infrastructure, airlift, entrepreneurship, land reform, healthcare, education and banking. But we also recognize that an established standards and quality infrastructure—especially in the realm of services—will be necessary to sustain the potential of Exuma and other islands. BBSQ has already started that work and we look forward to the participation of all residents to ensure that Exuma truly maximizes its potential,” Dr Ferguson-Bufford added.
While in Georgetown, BBSQ Metrology Inspectors will be conducting inspection and verification exercises on commercial scales used in trade, specifically scales at the airport, and fuel dispensers at the gas stations.
The Exuma trip is part of a series of stakeholder engagement meetings that BBSQ seeks to host in various Family Islands in the coming months. Next on the agenda is a trip to Abaco in February 2023.
The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) is a corporate body by virtue of the Standards Act (2006) and the Weights and Measures Act (2006) with reporting relationship to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The principal national authority for standards and quality, BBSQ seeks to advance national development through the facilitation and promotion of quality services in standardization, metrology and conformity assessment to protect the consumer, enhance international trade and competitiveness of goods and services.
To register for the Exuma stakeholder engagement meeting, contact BBSQ at info@bbsq.bs, bbsqmet@bbsq.bs or (242) 362-1750.
