Quality Infrastructure

National Quality Institute (NQI)

Building a culture of quality across Somalia — under the Somali Bureau of Standards

Overview

The National Quality Institute (NQI) operates under the Somali Bureau of Standards (SoBS) as a platform for enhancing Somalia's quality infrastructure and fostering a culture of quality across the country.

It supports the application of Somali Standards (SOS), quality assurance practices, reliable measurements and conformity assessment, and promotes the implementation of quality management systems in public and private organisations.

In doing so, the National Quality Institute (NQI) complements the SoBS mandate under the Somali Standards and Quality Control Act No. 27 of 2020 — building the knowledge, awareness and institutional capacity that allow standards, metrology, testing, certification and inspection to work together as one national quality infrastructure.

At a glance

Operates under: Somali Bureau of Standards (SoBS)
Legal framework: Somali Standards and Quality Control Act No. 27 of 2020
Purpose: Enhancing quality infrastructure and fostering a culture of quality
Focus areas: Standards, quality assurance, measurement, conformity assessment, QMS

Objectives

What the National Quality Institute (NQI) works towards

NQI supports quality, safety, consumer confidence, trade facilitation and the competitiveness of Somali products and services.

Quality & Safety

Promote the use of Somali Standards (SOS) and quality assurance so that products and services are safe, consistent and fit for purpose.

Consumer Confidence

Strengthen public trust in goods, services and measurements through awareness of standards and conformity assessment.

Trade Facilitation

Support the alignment of Somali practice with regional and international standards, easing the movement of Somali goods to market.

Competitiveness

Help Somali businesses adopt quality management systems and demonstrate compliance, improving competitiveness at home and abroad.

Institutional Quality

Build capacity in ministries, regulators and public bodies to apply quality principles in their own services and procurement.

Core functions

The building blocks of quality infrastructure

Each function plays a distinct role. Together they allow requirements to be set, measured, verified and trusted. These functions are delivered under the SoBS mandate; NQI builds the awareness and capacity that make them effective.

Standardization

Developing, adopting and publishing Somali Standards (SOS) that define requirements for products, services and processes.

Metrology

Ensuring measurements are accurate and traceable to recognized measurement standards through calibration and verification.

Testing

Laboratory analysis that determines whether a product's characteristics meet the requirements of the applicable standard.

Certification

Formal attestation — such as the Quality Mark, Halal Mark, SCC or Tier‑1 — that a product, service or organisation conforms to specified requirements.

Inspection

Examination of goods, documents and production conditions — including imported goods at entry — against relevant requirements.

Conformity Assessment

The overall process that combines testing, inspection and certification to demonstrate that requirements are fulfilled.

What NQI does

Programmes and activities

Training & Capacity Building

Training programmes for professionals, regulators and stakeholders in quality management systems, standards, metrology and conformity assessment.

Awareness & Promotion

Public awareness activities that promote the importance of standards, quality and compliance among Somali businesses and consumers.

QMS Implementation

Support for organisations implementing quality management systems such as ISO 9001 and other international standards.

Institutional Coordination

Coordination of quality-infrastructure activities among government ministries, regulatory bodies and private-sector organisations.

Institutional cooperation

Working with partners across the quality system

Quality infrastructure is a shared effort. NQI coordinates and cooperates with the institutions that set, apply and verify requirements.

Government institutions

Ministries and regulators that rely on standards and conformity assessment in their own mandates.

Laboratories

Testing laboratories, including SoBS concession partners, that provide analytical evidence of conformity.

Conformity assessment bodies

Inspection and certification bodies whose work depends on common standards and reliable measurement.

Businesses

Manufacturers, service providers, importers and exporters applying standards and quality management systems.

International organisations

Engagement with ISO, ARSO, SMIIC, Codex Alimentarius and WTO/TBT-related activities to align national practice with international norms.

Benefits to Somalia

Who gains from a strong quality infrastructure

Manufacturers

Clear requirements, access to certification and a route to demonstrate quality to buyers.

Importers

Predictable conformity requirements and inspection procedures for goods entering Somalia.

Exporters

Alignment with regional and international standards that supports recognition of Somali products abroad.

Consumers

Safer products, reliable measurements and trusted certification marks in the marketplace.

Public institutions

A shared quality framework for regulation, procurement and public-service delivery.

Legal Framework

SoBS operates under the Somali Standards and Quality Control Act No. 27 of 2020 and related regulations governing inspection, certification, conformity assessment and quality marks.