As South Sudan joined the world in marking World Metrology Day on Tuesday, the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) called on business enterprises to maintain accurate measuring instruments.
Celebrated each year on 20 May, World Metrology Day highlights the vital role of measurement science in our daily lives. This Day promotes metrology’s impact on quality of life and environmental preservation, aligning with UNESCO’s mission to advance science for a better world.
Gloria Nyoka Joseph, Executive Director of the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS), stressed the need to ensure accurate measurements across the board.
“It calls attention to the universal and endorsing relevance of measurements in ensuring quality, supporting public health, safeguarding the environment, and facilitating technological advancement,” she said. “Whether in times of stability or crisis, the integrity of our measurement systems remains vital to inform decision-making and sustainable progress.”
According to Nyoka, in South Sudan’s context, the development and strengthening of the national metro infrastructure is more than a technical undertaking and is a cornerstone of socio-economic transformation.
“Accurate measurements are integral to ensuring product quality, maintaining consumer confidence, promoting fair trade, and meeting international benchmarks,” she stressed.
For his part, Angelo Lado, General Manager of the National Chamber of Commerce, said the private sector and business people cannot do without measurement.
“Measurement is very important in our lives,” he stated. “To do business, you should know the measurement of your product.”
Meanwhile, John Odongi Nyakapa, Director General of Legal Metrology, said accurate measurements are the bedrock of innovation, quality assurance, and economic growth.
“For too long, South Sudan has faced a significant challenge in various sectors, hindering progress and development. However, we are witnessing a gradual shift towards a more technology-driven future, and metrology plays a crucial role in this transformation,” Odongi said. “Accurate measurements underpin the construction of infrastructure, production of essential goods, and even the provision of healthcare.”
World Metrology Day commemorates the signing, on May 20, 1875, of the Metre Convention, an international treaty designed to ensure that everyone around the world used the same metric system to measure weight and length, in order to ensure fair trade.
The celebrations help the public to understand what is meant by the science of measurement and why people are so dependent upon it.