TANZANIA – The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) is constructing a new six-storey building which will house modern and well equipped laboratories to enhance the bureau’s operations.

TBS is responsible for undertaking measures for quality control of products of all descriptions and to promote standardisation in industries and commerce in the country.

TBS Acting Director General Joseph Masikitiko, revealed the plans recently while addressing the Bureau’s staff at an end of year 2014 meeting held in Dar es Salaam.

Masikitiko said the construction of the building is one of the strategies under implementation to enable the standard body to perform its duties more efficiently and in a modernised way.

He said that drawings of the expected modern structure have already been sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for further stages noting that the construction project is under the funding of the government of People’s Republic of China.

Currently, TBS has nine well equipped laboratories with the capacity to carry out various measurements of products.

According to the TBS boss, the bureau has attained remarkable achievements in the year 2014 while encouraging workers to keep on working hard in 2015 by adhering to public servants’ code of ethics to ensure that more citizens are reached by the services.

He said in the year 2014, TBS has purchased different equipment and machines for its laboratories to enable its experts perform measurements of different products effectively.

He also said in the same year, TBS employed 45 new workers in various fields, being one of the steps to expand its network of having workers all over the country.

However, the Acting DG maintained that TBS expects to employ 29 new workers by using the institution’s internal funds but also the government has promised to employ 200 new workers in various fields in the 2015/2016 financial year.

He further revealed that in this financial year, TBS expects to establish new zonal offices in Arusha and Mwanza regions and other offices at Julius Nyerere International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport.

It also plans to open up new offices at the borders of Mutukula, Rusumo in Kagera Region, and Kasumulo, Tunduma in Mbeya Region.

January 20, 2015; http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=76483