SOE board members warned against infighting

MEMBERS of parastatal boards have been warned against fighting among themselves but were advised to rather focus on finding lasting solutions to the challenges they may face.

This warning was issued by executive director for industrialisation and trade Sikongo Haihambo at the inauguration of the Namibian Standards Council (NSC) by trade minister Lucia Iipumbu on Wednesday.

The council will serve for three years from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025.

“In recent times, we have started witnessing the unwanted phenomenon of board members fighting among themselves and even resorting to the courts to sort out their differences.

“I, therefore, wish to caution and advise you against protracted legal challenges and to rather focus your energy towards finding lasting solutions to the challenges that may present themselves,” he said.

Haihambo said effective boards have several ways at their disposal to avoid litigation and preserve civility among dissenting board members.

“The power of the board is as a body of the whole, not as individual actors. It is expected that as council members you should avoid self-interests and speak on behalf of the NSI (Namibian Standards Institute),” he said.

Iipumbu said the NSC is responsible for managing, conducting, supervising and controlling the affairs and activities of the NSI.

Furthermore, the council performs functions such as ensuring financial prudence and the overall sound administration of the NSI.

She said in terms of the Standards Act, the council should consist of members from different backgrounds and skill sets to ensure diversity.

“The NSC, and by extension the NSI, is also tasked with the objective of leading the institutional and legal modernisation of the national quality infrastructure to ensure that the concerned bodies provide competent and essential support and services to industries, the government and all other stakeholders in line with the international best practices and norms,” said the minister.

“The NSC being inaugurated should develop strategies geared towards ensuring the sustainability of the NSI,” said the minister.

She said the NSI has testing centres at Walvis Bay and Lüderitz which have been accredited and the council is tasked with ensuring that these centres retain their accreditation status because losing that will have disastrous consequences not only for the NSI but also for the country.

“Both centres carry out inspection and surveillance services that cover factories, processing plants, cold stores and fishing vessels and perform evaluations of food processing systems for compliance to international and national statutory requirements,” the minister said.

Iipumbu said the metrology bill that was tabled in parliament would repeal the Trade Metrology Act of 1973, and the 2005 Trade Metrology Amendment Act, once promulgated.

“The 1973 Metrology Act, which this bill will repeal, focused primarily on trade-related activities that put emphasis on the application of accurate and precise measurements in trade transactions and excludes certain crucial considerations such as the protection of human and animal life, as well the protection of the environment,” explained the minister.

She also said the new bill designates the NSC as the governance board for metrology and for the appointment of the metrology advisory board.

Email: matthew@namibian.com.na