Namibian Standards Institution

What Namibian Standards Institution does

The Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) is a statutory body established under the Standards Act No. 18 of 2005 and wholly owned by the Government of Namibia, functioning as the country's national standards body and a key performance indicator of Namibia's national quality infrastructure. NSI develops and coordinates Namibian Standards (NAMS), adopts international standards from ISO, SANS, SADCSTAN, EN, OIML, BS, and ASTM, and provides product/system certification, testing, inspection, and legal metrology services (the latter under the Metrology Amendment Act No. 17 of 2005). The institution also serves as Namibia's WTO/TBT Enquiry Point, runs market surveillance inspections under regulations such as the Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitisers Regulations, and operates a Certified Client Directory alongside a Standards Training Centre.

NSI's revenue model is fee-based across multiple streams: unit-priced sale of standards documents (N$75-N$959 each) through an in-house e-commerce shop, professional services fees for certification schemes, testing and inspection engagements, and metrology calibration, supplemented by a 2025 training course schedule. Customer segments are horizontally distributed across manufacturers, distributors and importers, academic institutions (notably UNAM), government bodies, and inventors/entrepreneurs, with physical delivery to all 14 Namibian regions. The organisation is governed by the Namibia Standards Council (NSC) and led by CEO Chie Wasserfall, with operational headquarters in Windhoek and an inspection centre in Walvis Bay established in 2021. Strategic partnerships with UNAM, NCRST, and PTB (the latter under an EU-funded project) anchor its institutional positioning within Namibia's research, innovation, and international metrology ecosystems.

Name

Namibian Standards Institution

Legal name

Namibian Standards Institution

Website

https://nsi.com.na

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Namibian Standards Institution is a government-owned statutory body that develops Namibian Standards (NAMS) and provides certification, testing, inspection, and metrology services to manufacturers, importers, academic institutions, and government entities across Namibia, operating under the Standards Act No. 18 of 2005.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Standards and Conformity Assessment Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJACAB

Standards Development & Publishing (SDOs, Technical Standards)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Professional & Legal Publishing (Standards, Compliance, Reference)

SECONDARYBPADANAD

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYBPADAAAJ

International Standards, Norms & Technical Regulatory Bodies

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Multilateral & Intergovernmental Organizations

SECONDARYBPADANAA

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Standards development
• Conformity assessment
• Product certification
• Legal metrology
• Inspection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Windhoek

HQ country

Namibia

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Standards Sales: Sale of Namibian Standards (NAMS) documents and adopted international standards (ISO, SANS, etc.) through the NSI online shop. Prices range from N$75 to N$959 per standard document. Payment accepted via direct bank transfer.
2. Certification Services: Conformity assessment and certification services for products and management systems, including alcohol-based hand sanitisers certification scheme, cement regulations certification, and various certification schemes.
3. Testing and Inspection: Testing centre and inspection centre services for product conformity assessment, market surveillance inspections, and inspection centre registration.
4. Metrology Services: Legal metrology services under the Metrology Amendment Act No. 17 of 2005, including measurement standards and calibration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NSI develops Namibian Standards (NAMS) and adopts international standards (ISO, SANS, SADCSTAN, EN, OIML, BS) as national benchmarks. It provides conformity assessment through certification schemes (including regulated products such as alcohol-based hand sanitisers and cement), testing and inspection services, legal metrology calibration, and a Standards Training Centre. The institution also distributes standards documents via its online shop and operates the WTO/TBT national enquiry point.

Product overview

Namibian Standards Institution (NSI) operates as a standards development and conformity assessment body offering a unified portfolio of services. The core offerings include Standards Development and Coordination (developing NAMS and adopting international standards), Certification Services (product and system certification), Testing and Inspection Services, and Metrology Services. Supporting these are the Online Shop for standards publications and the Standards Training Centre. NSI functions as the national quality infrastructure institution under the Standards Act No. 18 of 2005, providing standardization and conformity assessment services to ensure consumer health and safety, environmental protection, and trade promotion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standards Development and Coordination Develops and coordinates Namibian Standards (NAMS) by adopting international standards from ISO, SANS, SADCSTAN, EN, OIML, and BS, and creating proprietary national standards for sectors such as food safety, sanitation, and risk management. Used by manufacturers, regulators, and technical committees to standardize products, processes, and management systems in Namibia.
• Certification Services Product and management system certification services, including regulated schemes such as the Alcohol-based Hand Sanitisers Certification Scheme, Cement Regulations compliance, and other certification schemes maintained by NSI. Intended for manufacturers, distributors, and importers seeking conformity certification for the Namibian market.
• Testing and Inspection Services Testing Centre and Inspection Centre services for product conformity assessment, including market surveillance inspections for regulated products. Inspection Centre Application for Registration is available for inspection centres seeking NSI registration. Used by manufacturers, importers, and inspection centres requiring accreditation and conformity verification.
• Metrology Services Legal metrology services including verification and calibration of measurement instruments, operating under the Metrology Amendment Act No. 17 of 2005. Provides measurement standards used by regulated industries and trade.
• Online Shop - Standards Publications E-commerce platform at nsi.com.na/shop selling Namibian Standards (NAMS) and adopted international standards documents covering medical devices, food safety, quality management, environmental management, and sector-specific standards. Customers create accounts, place orders, and pay via direct bank transfer; products ship to all 14 regions of Namibia.
• Standards Training Centre Training programs on Namibian and international standards, with published annual course schedules covering standards application, quality management, and conformity assessment. Used by professionals, technical committee members, and organizations building internal standards capacity.
• WTO/TBT Enquiry Point National enquiry point for World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) notifications. Provides information on technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures to facilitate international trade and ensure transparency in trade-related standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• NSI is one of the key performance indicators of Namibia's national quality infrastructure

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Commission for Research, Science and Technology (NCRST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2019MOU signed between NSI and NCRST for strengthening Research, Science, Technology and Innovation. Key areas include: strengthening technical capacity to deliver building capacity services within NSI on training of trainer basis; building capacity for inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs in using standards for Total Quality Management, Business Continuity and Continual Improvement; identifying research projects on appropriate methods and tools to improve quality of products, processes and management systems. Contributes to NSI's vision of being recognized as centre of excellence for standardization.
• University of Namibia (UNAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2017Cooperation agreement signed to strengthen participation of academia in standards development and coordination, certification, testing and metrology. UNAM and NSI working together on development of standards for yoghurt and dairy products from Neudamm and Ogongo Campuses. Other products in pipeline include food and beverages from indigenous plants and fruits, medicinal plants products, and IT software. UNAM to utilize NSI's testing facilities for product conformance demonstration. MoU serves as vehicle for cooperation in accreditation and certification. UNAM seeks laboratory accreditation through NSI, ISO, SADCAS, and SANAS.
• Government of NamibiacoreOthersNSI is a statutory body operating under the oversight of the Namibian government. Listed as a partner and supporter on NSI website alongside international standardization organizations.
• World Trade Organization (WTO)coreTechnology or IntegrationNSI serves as the WTO/TBT Enquiry Point for Namibia. Provides forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements and ensures technical regulations do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)coreTechnology or IntegrationNSI adopts ISO standards as Namibian Standards (NAMS/ISO). Listed as partner and supporter on NSI website.
• International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)coreTechnology or IntegrationNSI adopts OIML standards as Namibian Standards (NAMS/OIML) for legal metrology. Listed as partner and supporter on NSI website.
• ASTM InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationNSI adopts ASTM standards as part of its standards portfolio. Listed as partner and supporter on NSI website.
• Namibia (NCRST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partner and supporter on NSI website. NCRST is the National Commission for Research, Science and Technology of Namibia.
• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPTB (German National Metrology Institute) partners with NSI through the EU Grant funded project 'Support to the Namibian Standards Institution'. NSI has a vacancy for Project Assistant to this PTB NSI EU Grant funded project.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South African Bureau of Standards (SABS): South Africa's national standards body operating an analogous mandate — standards development, certification, testing, and inspection. SABS is the most directly comparable African national standards institution, operating in the same SADC trade bloc as NSI.
• Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS): Kenya's national standards body providing standards development, certification, testing, and metrology services. KEBS offers a closely comparable operating model and serves as a benchmark for African national quality infrastructure scale.
• Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON): Nigeria's national standards body delivering product certification, testing, and standards development with market surveillance powers. Directly comparable statutory mandate and product safety regulatory function.
• Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS): Botswana's national standards body operating within the same SADC region. BOBS provides a closely comparable service portfolio and faces similar small-market dynamics as NSI.

Broad incumbents

• British Standards Institution (BSI): UK-origin global standards body that NSI adopts standards from (NAMS/BS). BSI operates a much larger commercial standards, certification, and training business with global reach and represents the scaled version of NSI's model.
• DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung): Germany's national standards body, source of EN standards adopted by NSI. Comparable institutional role at far larger scale, representing the global incumbents that NSI's domestic standards adopt from.
• ASTM International: US-based international standards development organisation. Listed as a direct partner of NSI, whose standards NSI adopts. Represents the international SDO ecosystem that national bodies source from.

Others

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): Global umbrella standards body whose standards NSI adopts as NAMS/ISO. ISO is the apex body in NSI's standards supply chain and enables international recognition of NSI-issued certifications.
• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB): Germany's national metrology institute and an active NSI partner through the EU grant funded project. PTB is a donor/technical-assistance counterparty rather than a competitor but operates in an adjacent metrology and standards capacity-building role.

Regional players

• SIRIM Berhad (Malaysia): Malaysia's national standards and industrial research organisation offering testing, certification, and calibration across a single domestic market. Comparable mid-sized national standards body operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NSI_Namibia
• Facebookfacebook.com/NSINamibia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Namibian Standards Institution