CEDA AWARDED BOS ISO 9001:2008 RE-CERTIFICATION

The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) has recently been awarded a three year BOS ISO 9001:2008 re-certification from the Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS). The handing over ceremony for the certification was held in Gaborone at a cocktail event at the Gaborone Sun on the 2^nd of July 2014. To hand over the certificate on behalf of BOBS was the Managing Director, Ms Masego BB Marobela. In her address to the guests present at the ceremony the Managing Director said, “We are here to officially hand over a certificate issued in recognition of CEDA’s quality management system which has been assessed by the Bureau of Standards and found to be in conformity with the requirement of BOS ISO 9001:2008 standards”.

She went on to commend the Agency for its hard work and continued effort in adhering to the standards set by the BOS ISO 9001:2008. The Agency applied for recertification April 2013 and underwent two vigorous audits that resulted in being re-certified in November last year. Marobela said “I am glad to note that despite the level of complexity of operations and size, CEDA was able to attain recertification in a short period of time. The award will result in CEDA seeing a noticeable reduction in operational costs due to work being done more efficiently, improved levels of service delivery to stakeholders as the BOS ISO 9001:2008 stands customer service and continual improvement in processes

In his acceptance speech the CEDA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Thabo Thamane expressed his sincere gratitude in the efforts that the CEDA Management and Staff has displayed in attaining the certificate, he said that the recertification is testimony to teamwork and the quest for excellence. “The certification to BOS ISO 9001:2008 by BOBS Certifying Council shows CEDA’s commitment to quality, customers, and a willingness to work towards improving efficiency. It is a demonstration of the existence of an effective quality management system that satisfies the rigours of an independent audit, and further enhances the CEDA image in the eyes of customers, its employees and stakeholders alike”.

Along with the recognition of the BOS ISO 9001:2008 certification, Mr Thamane went on to congratulate the Agency on being recognised as the Best Performing Parastatal under the Ministry of Trade and Industry for 2013/14 and being awarded the awarded the Best Performing African Development Finance Institution (DFI) in the Association of African Development Finance Institution (AADFI) in Kigali, Rwanda in May 2013. Both awards are a testimony that CEDA is delivering on its mandate to Batswana. It also exemplifies what a team is.

CEDA received its first BOBS ISO certification in 2009 after the Board and Management recognised the need to implement the BOS 9001:2008 Quality Management System. This decision stemmed from a response to ensure that CEDA’s services are consistently provided throughout the agency in an effort to improve customer service and corporate governance as a quality service provider.