The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is considering the adoption of standardised measurement and calibration guides towards the effective implementation of West African Quality System Programme (WAQSP) for harmonisation.
The WAQSP is an European Union (EU) funded programme, which commenced in 2015 with the purpose of establishing quality infrastructure for the West African sub-region.
The ECOWAS Committee for Metrology (ECOMET) with partners will over the next three days, deliberate on and adopt drafts documents related to the calibration guides and harmonised verification procedures of measuring instruments to be used by member states.
In a welcome address delivered on his behalf, Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), was Mr Charles Amoako Deputy Director of General for Conformity Assessment,said his office was of the firm belief that the outcome of the workshop would influence industrial development in the sub-region.
He said it was significant for trade rules to be enforced to ensure quality output from one part of the world to the other, since the world had become a global village, adding that “the West African sub-region must also be brought on board to effectively participate in the global industrial development and international trade.”
He said Ghana and the rest of West African countries were prepared to move with the world by ensuring that quality becomes the hallmark of all manufacturing and trading activities with the international community and were eager to implement the WAQSP, which had been in operation since 2015.
Dr Kemji Ajoku, a Representative from ECOWAS, said the opening of ECOWAS Member States to the international market further confirms the role that quality infrastructure particularly metrology, have to play in order to guarantee a better competitiveness of products and services.
He said the Commission and its Member States ought to develop metrology under its three components of legal, industrial and scientific to ensure the traceability of measurements results within the sub-region
