Mwanza water quality lab is now accredited

The Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory has been accredited in the scope of “Chemical Analyses” of water in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 by the SADC Accreditation Service (SADCAS). The accreditation certificate handover ceremony was held on 15 May 2015 at St Gasper Hotel in Dodoma the capital city of Tanzania. In her welcome remarks to the ceremony, Mrs Nadhifa Kemikimba the Direc- tor Division of Water Quality Services under the Ministry of Water, noted that Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory is the first government laboratory to be accredited in Tanzania. She reminisced on the journey to accreditation which started in 2004 by participating in Proficiency Testing. In 2012 the Ministry engaged a consultant to do a gap analysis of the laboratories management systems following which all issues raised were addressed and an application for accreditation was submitted to SADCAS in April 2014. The initial assessment was carried out in October 2014 and accreditation granted on 30 March 2015 for 15 water testing parameters. She noted that the accreditation would assist in assuring the safety of water. Speaking during the ceremony Engi- neer Mbogo Futakamba, the Perma- nent Secretary Ministry of Water noted that Mwanza Zonal Water Qual- ity Laboratory was the first out of 16 laboratories under the Division of Wa- ter Quality Services of the Ministry of Water to be accredited following a directive from Honourable Jakaya Kik- wete, the President of the Republic of Tanzania to improve the quality of services. He noted the benefits de- rived from accreditation particularly accuracy and reliability of results. “Accreditation assures public account- ability” he said. He advised that the Ministry had a program in place for the other 15 laboratories under the Division of Water Quality Services to be accredited of which 5 laboratories should be accredited by 2018. As the Accounting Officer under the Ministry, Engineer Futakamba com- mitted to supporting the program. He also advised that the Government would amend regulations to require all water testing laboratories to be accredited. In concluding his remarks Engineer Futakamba congratulated the team for a job well done and thanked all those who had assisted in the process. In his presentation on the “Economic perspective on water quality”, Mr Edson Msangula, an accreditation con- sultant, highlighted the need for all water testing laboratories to be accredited and the market opportu- nities for accredited testing services in the mining, textile, fishing and environmental sectors. He also emphasized the need and importance of continued support to accredited laboratories and called upon the Government to review Public procurement Act to allow for new and emerging needs and require- ments. He also called upon the Government to allow laboratories to retain earned income from services and to review service charges so as to ensure sustainability of accredited laboratories. He concluded his presentation with a quote for Charles Darwin “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” nia informed delegates about the role of the NAFP and the achievement it had made in promoting ac- creditation and marketing SADCAS services in Tanzania. She noted that Tanzania had the 2nd highest number of accreditations by SADCAS and the 4th highest number of accreditation applications under process Mrs Maureen Mutasa the SADCAS Chief Executive Officer said that Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Labora- tory was the 4th testing laboratory and 9th laboratory in Tanzania to be accredited by SADCAS. The Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory had been granted the unique accreditation numbers TEST-5 0011 indicating that Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory is now a SADCAS accredited testing labo- ratory for chemical analyses of water. The certificate was issued on 30 March 2015 and is valid for 5 years until 29 March 2020 during which period SADCAS will undertake surveillance to ensure continued com- pliance with accreditation requirements. Mrs Mutasa said that Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory underwent a joint assessment by SADCAS and SANAS and had been issued with 2 accreditation certifi- cates with the latter being internationally recognized. “This is meant to ensure the credibility of SADCAS certificate whilst at the same time benefiting from skills transfer from SANAS”, she said. She informed the delegates that SADCAS had made great strides towards international recognition of its certificates having successfully undergone a pre peer evaluation in June 2014 and now set to undergo a peer evaluation from 26 to 31 May 2015. In conclusion Mrs Mutasa congratulated Mwanza Zonal Water Qual- ity Laboratory for the achievement and encouraged the Laboratory to extend its scope of accreditation to the other methods that the laboratory undertakes and encouraged the other laboratories under the Division of Water Quality Services to seek accreditation from SADCAS. She then handed over the certifi- cate to Engineer Futakamba who in turn handed over the certificate to the Honourable Professor Ju- manne A Maghembe, the Minister of Water who then handed over the certificate to Mr Heri M Chisute, the Manager Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory. achievement “You make us stand 9 feet tall. The icing to all the Minis- try’s successes over the past 3 years.” he said and urged the Laboratory to continue to comply with SADCAS requirements in order to maintain the accreditation. Water is fundamental to life and the environment. It plays a central role in both economic and social development activi- ties. It plays a pivotal role in poverty alleviation through enhancement of food security, domestic hygiene and the environment. He noted the importance of accreditation in assuring the safety and cleanness of water and thanked SADCAS for bringing accreditation to Tanzania. The Honourable Professor Maghembe prided in having the best staff in the public service, who deliver albeit being the least funded. He reiterated his Ministry’s commitment to supporting all the laboratories under his Ministry and encouraged Mwanza Zonal Water Quality Laboratory to publicize its accreditation for competitiveness. He assured all that the regulations will be amended to include mandatory testing of water by an accredited laboratory.