3rd Enlarged regional Steering Committee meeting of the WAQSP: Stakeholders took stock of the status of implementation of Phase 1 of the Program and discussed the prospects for Phase 2

The 3rd Enlarged Regional Steering Committee Meeting of the West Africa Quality System Programme (WAQSP) took place from 21-22 August 2017, at Bolton White Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. It recorded the effective participation of the main stakeholders of the Program (ECOWAS, European Union, UNIDO, ECOWAS Member States, Mauritania and Regional Private Sector), as well as other partners involved in quality in the region, specially the USAID-SPS Program. It should be reminded that the WAQSP comprises two phases, the first phase covering the period September 2014 - August 2017 and the second phase extending from September 2017 to December 2018.

Thanks to the encouraging results of Phase 1, with a physical execution rate of 82% at the end of August 2017 and a financial implementation rate of 90% at the end of July 2017, the WAQSP requested and obtained from the European Union an extension of the Phase 1 for three months to improve these rates.

Regarding the Phase 2, Bernard BAU, PM of the WAQSP in Vienna (Austria), said that “the challenges are also numerous, especially since the period of execution is less than two years". For Kurt CORNELIS, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union in Abuja (Nigeria), one of the main challenges is “the need to build a solid Quality Infrastructure to support companies and the Private sector in the region”. He was accompanied by his colleagues Mrs. Nadia CANNATA and Mr. Frank-Isioma OKAFOR. Mr. CORNELIS also confirmed the EU's commitment to continue to support the region and countries in the area of ​​quality and competitiveness: an upcoming regional program to support the competitiveness of value chains will start in 2018 within the framework of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).

Commissioner Kalilou TRAORE, in charge of Industry and promotion of Private Sector at the ECOWAS Commission who delivered the opening remarks, said that four areas for development should be highlighted, to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure Quality of the region: the validation and implementation of the 16 national quality policies, a better involvement of the private sector in the operation of quality management systems, a framework of coherent intervention of consumer associations to better address consumer expectations in terms of quality, the private sector ownership of the issue of quality infrastructure and the creation of genuine market demand for quality products and services.