ACCREDITATION plays a vital role in the country’s growth and development, according to chief executive officer for the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC), Sharonmae Shirley.

An accreditation is a formal recognition/approval given to an institution or programme by an authoritative body, which ensures that certain standards of quality and excellence are met, thereby fostering confidence and trust among various stakeholders.

“It is because of the checks of conformance of the goods and services that the buyers in whichever territory can attest or can have confidence that these goods or services will meet their expectations and conform to their specifications,” Shirley added.

She was speaking during the recent staging of the agency’s CEO Breakfast at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

In addition to supporting Jamaica’s growth and development through the accreditation of local entities and laboratories, JANAAC also ensures that quality local products are exported to several regional countries.

These include The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Highlighting the importance of accreditation, Shirley explained that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has two key agreements for importing countries. These are the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreements.

The TBT agreement covers requirements for food and non-food traded products, while the SPS agreement sets out the basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards.

“These agreements will allow [importing countries] to introduce conformity assessment requirements… that will safeguard the health and well-being of their citizens,” Shirley informed.

She added that with these conformity assessment requirements in place, “some countries will use this as a wedge to create technical barriers”.

“It is, therefore, important for us to have accredited conformity assessment service providers in Jamaica to support exportation and the growth of our economy,” Shirley maintained.

JANAAC, being the only accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean, has recognition to three international standards that safeguard the work that local conformity assessment bodies do.

The agency is also mandated to facilitate trade through the accreditation of public and private sector laboratories, inspection bodies and certification bodies.