‘GSB builds staff capacity, improves technical competence’

Papa Secka, Director General of The Gambia Standards Bureau (GSB), has said the bureaus builds capacity and improves the technical competency of its staff and that of its stakeholders involved in a technical committee work.

The GSB Director General made this statement on Wednesday whilst delivering the GSB annual activity and financial report, following the adoption of the report by the Public Accounts Committee and Public Enterprises Committee, PAC/PEC, of the National Assembly.

He added that the GSB has embarked on building capacity and awareness, being key to the work of the bureau, and to continue to increase the scope and coverage of its awareness-creation activities.

The bureau’s visibility improved both nationally and internationally, including regional contributions, he said.

However, he continued, “formidable challenges do humble these gains”; thus the bureau would further harness its energy and resources to tackle these challenges.

Mr Secka further told state lawmakers that the bureau has the opportunity to be financially independent within a relatively short period of time, given its service-oriented income-generating features.

However, as a young institution, it must receive strong financial resources to put in place the most basic structure that paves the way for financial self-sustenance.

This opportunity, Secka added, has largely been compressed due to severe under-funding since establishment, with a constant amount of subvention of six million dalasi for three years consecutively, leaving little room for growth.

“This has limited the bureau’s ability severely even in terms of mobility with only one operational vehicle,” he said.