Government Agencies urged to become ISO 9001 certified

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Audley Shaw, is urging Government agencies to seek international standard certification so that they can be more competitive in the global market place.

He noted that the ISO 9001 Quality Management System is the world’s most popular international standard that focuses on the quality of goods and services produced by an organization.

“Regrettably, there is the sentiment in Jamaica that many government ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) do not offer quality, expeditious service. It is, therefore, important for public agencies to implement globally recognized quality management systems such as ISO 9001 in order to improve the quality of service to the citizenry,” Minister Shaw said.

He made the remarks during the presentation of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certificate to the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) at the Bureau of Standard Jamaica, Multipurpose Facility on Winchester Road, Kingston on Thursday, November 12.

The COJ is the third of eighteen ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to become ISO 900:2015 certified under the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project handled by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

Applauding the COJ’s achievement, Minister Shaw said that by becoming ISO 9001 certified, COJ has committed itself to better serving and meeting the needs of its clients.

“This certification will allow the COJ to operate based on international best practices. While this does not guarantee that its services will always be perfect, it means the organisation has put in place the quality management system to identify and correct any weakness identified,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer, Companies Office of Jamaica, Judith Ramlogan, in her remarks said that the achievement of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification is a proud moment for the management and staff of the COJ.

“Our ability as an Agency to deliver on our mandate is paramount to the development of Jamaica in the global marketplace. We must maintain our competitive edge, attracting investors who will support us as we build Brand Jamaica,” she said.

The ISO 9001 Implementation Programme is a strategic intervention of the Government to help in the transformation and modernization of the Jamaican public sector.
-30-