The WAQSP organized from 9 to 10 August 2016 a workshop for capacity building of national certification bodies of the fifteen ECOWAS countries and Mauritania, responsible for product certification. This was to enable them to have a specific appropriation of the requirements of ISO / IEC 17065, version 2012, which includes requirements on skills, consistency of activities and impartiality of the product certification bodies, processes and services.

The activity is part of promoting the ECOWAS mark of conformity for standards. This mark has as first customer, the industrial sector. It will be issued through national certification systems of Member States and will guarantee the quality of products marketing on the sub-regional or those exported. Therefore, it was a good practice to sensitize and train the bodies that support products certification to master the requirements of this international standard.

After Mr. Kalilou TRAORE, ECOWAS Commissioner for Industry and promotion of Private Sector, officials welcomed the opportunity of such a workshop which will certainly contribute to the implementation and the consolidation of the Quality Infrastructure in West Africa.

In the current context of global competition, the region’s States must have, today more than ever, a range of distinctive and quality products. After the workshop ended with the presentation of certificates, participants expressed their wish to receive assistance from the WAQSP for an upgrade of their respective certification bodies, in relation to the requirements of ISO 7065.