The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Tuesday opened its door to the people of Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) with a new sub-office located in the town of Mahdia at one of the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) buildings.
This will result in the expansion of core services to the residents of Region Eight. An Inspector will now be stationed in central Mahdia, which is the gateway to several mining communities, to provide measurement and product monitoring services, among others.
Delivering her remarks at the opening ceremony, Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce noted that the launching of a new GNBS office in Mahdia signals the Government’s commitment to decentralise the services offered to citizens across the country.
She said “The concept of one Guyana extends beyond bridging racial divide. It also speaks of linking Guyana geographically. As a government, we want to ensure that no one feels less important than a resident of Georgetown. We want you to have the same access as those in the urban parts of the country. We are doing so by strategically ensuring that all government services are available in all our regions; and therefore, all Guyanese will have direct access to the services of the Government.”
Ms. Ramrattie Karan, Executive Director of the GNBS (Ag) also pointed out that the Bureau’s vision is to be the premier national institution for standards and quality in Guyana and to do so, it is important to have a physical presence in each of the Administrative Regions. She noted that prior to the opening of the office in Mahdia, Inspectors “would regularly travel to Region Eight to verify petrol pumps and other measuring instruments used by businesses here, but as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel restrictions have taught us, this is not the perfect option.”
Additionally, the ED Acting noted that with Mahdia declared a town, we have noticed an increase in the sale of bulk fuel in the Region which will require wider use of the GNBS’ verification services.
Further, the GNBS local office will be offering calibration services to gold miners who require calibration of their high accuracy or precision balances (scales). The GNBS Inspector will also be monitoring the quality of 17 products which falls under the purview of the GNBS, to safeguard consumers.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Regional Chairman Mr. Headley Pio, Mayor of Mahdia and President of the Mahdia Chamber of Commerce, Mr. David Adams, Deputy Regional Executive Officer Mr. Shaun Britton, Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston and others.
Mr. Pio in his address welcomed the GNBS to the town. He pointed out that this office will reduce expenses, time and pressure exerted by businesspersons to travel to Georgetown to access verification and calibration services. “We all need these services in our region that will ease the transportation going out to Georgetown and Linden,” he noted.
The Mayor also expressed similar sentiments noting that the setting up of the GNBS’ office sets businesses on the correct course of using standards. He also committed to encourage businesses to utilise the services of the Bureau.
With support from the Government, the GNBS has now successfully established seven offices with the others being in Anna- Regina (Region Two), Vreed-En-Hoop (Region Three), New Amsterdam and Corriverton (Region Six), Bartica (Region Seven) and Lethem (Region Nine).
While in Mahdia, the visiting GNBS Team also held several meetings with stakeholders, conducted a lecture for students of the Mahdia Secondary School and participated in an interview on Radio Mahdia to create awareness of GNBS and its services in the region.
Stakeholders needing to contact the GNBS Mahdia office can call: +592-632-0731.
