WAQSP Newsletter n°4. October 2016

Dear readers!

In response to the low level of industrialization of Africa (currently 1.9% of World Manufacturing Added Value-MAV), the ECOWAS Commission has endeavored to define the institutional framework that would facilitate the whole management of this key issue for the development of the region. This high-level reflection led in 2010 to the adoption of the West African Common Industrial Policy (WACIP) whose implementation strategy has also been recently revised (in 2015). In accordance with the WACIP that emphasizes, as part of a priority program, on issues of standardization, quality assurance, accreditation and metrology, the ECOWAS Commission initiated another major and complementary project: the definition of a regional Quality policy. Countrys’

Started as part of the West Africa Quality Program, the process has been pursued by my Department, in particular with national workshops in all Member States. This process allowed having a thorough overview of the state of countries’ Quality infrastructure, meeting to the very basic concerns of an economic operator: could he acquire the standards of his profession at national level? If he wants to export to challenging markets, could he do the required analysis at national level? If so, are the results of the concerned laboratory valid internationally? He wants to control the performance of his industrial production facilities; where is the nearest calibration laboratory? Is it reliable? Etc. 

In 2013, this lengthy process conducted in a participatory manner, resulted in the adoption by the Heads of States of Quality policy of ECOWAS - ECOQUAL (Supplementary Act A / SA.1 / 02/13). During the same year, two further regulations were made: one dealing with pattern of Quality Infrastructure (C / REG 12.19.13.), and another that stresses on the rules of organizing the ECOWAS Quality Award (C / REG. 17/12/13). With the regulation of 2012 on the adoption of the harmonization procedures of ECOWAS standards (ECOSHAM C / REG. 14/12/12), the legal basis of the quality infrastructure were launched. In the process, the European Union has been requested as a traditional partner in the region in this particular area, by funding WAEMU Quality programs (2001-2005) and the West Africa Quality Program (2007-2012). She positively responded to our request to support the implementation of ECOQUAL, validating the West Africa Quality System Program (WAQSP) which covers the fifteen member States of ECOWAS and Mauritania. As you know, the WAQSP implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), has a budget of 12 million € over a period of 4,5years (September 2014 - March 2018).

One of the first actions of this program was to support the Member States to transpose ECOQUAL at national level. For countries that have already national Quality policies or advanced projects in that field, the exercise was, firstly, to ensure alignment of these documents to ECOQUAL standard, secondly to support the definition and updating of a priority action plan of implementation that covers 5 years on average and its encryption. It concerns Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo.

For other countries, assistance focused on supporting the development of NQP and associated encrypted action plan. Today, the WAQSP support is evaluated to at least 80%. The process of formal adoption by States has begun. Mauritania where it was adopted last March, serves as a pioneer in terms of the time allotted. In Nigeria, the NQP is being adopted as part of a specific national program, in coordination with the WAQSP. So, as the certification and accreditation, subject of my reflections in the previous editorial, you understand all the importance that we must give to NQP, the main theme of this newsletter.

Benin and Senegal have already started the exercise. The WAQSP also planned actions in this very sensitive and priority sector for ECOWAS, mainly through capacity-building activities to make available national expertise in this field in each countryThis will be my purpose in the next newsletter.

Happy reading!

Kalilou TRAORE

Commissioner for

Industry and Private

Sector Promotion -

ECOWAS Commission