The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) is reviewing its standards regulations to improve consumer protection and align with international requirements.

This follows stakeholder consultations in February, aimed at strengthening Namibia's national quality infrastructure.

The revised regulations are expected to improve how standards are developed, enforced, and applied in areas such as emergency response and compulsory standards.

Acting General Manager for certification at the NSI, Etuukata Nashima, said the review is necessary to ensure Namibia keeps up with global practices while protecting consumers.

"We needed to ensure that the process of standards development is fully enhanced within the revised standards regulation. It was also quite important that, in a similar manner, we needed to ensure that in any cases of emergency, as you all remember, as COVID was one of the most common examples, we needed to ensure that consumers were protected."

The review also introduces stronger enforcement mechanisms, including clearly defined powers for inspectors to conduct market surveillance and ensure compliance.

Meanwhile, Acting General Manager for Standards at the NSI, Lahya Hambinga, says stakeholder engagement was a critical part of the process to ensure transparency and inclusivity.

"Transparency in the regulatory aspect is very key. And it is key because you need to gather input. Your intended regulations should collect and incorporate all comments and inputs from relevant stakeholders. And it was also very important for the NSI to follow the same transparency provision. We are part of the WTO. And for the WTO TBT agreement, transparency is a cornerstone."

The revised regulations are also aligned with Namibia's national quality policy and broader development goals.

These include improved trade competitiveness and facilitated access to international markets.

NSI says the next step is to finalise the draft regulations, after which they will be gazetted and implemented.

Once implemented, the regulations are anticipated to create a fair competition between local and imported products, while ensuring that all goods adhere to the necessary safety and quality standards.