Following the training workshop of the heads of consumer associations in Lome, the WAQSP supports the transfer of knowledge at the national level in Côte d'Ivoire

The WAQSP held this Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at the conference room of the Directorate for the Promotion of Quality and Standardization (DPQN) in Abidjan-Plateau, a knowledge transfer workshop on the recommendations of the United Nations guidelines for consumer protection.

In fact, during the regional workshop held from 11 to 12 April 2018, in Lome, Togo, a draft work plan was drawn up by all the participants for the appropriation and application of main recommendations of the UN guidelines for consumer protection at national level, and for the updating and adoption of legal texts on information and consumer protection. Hence this capacity-building workshop of the national associations of Côte d'Ivoire to enable them to appropriate the contents of the UN guidelines on consumer protection in order to be more effective in the field.

UNIDO representative, Mr. Issouf Ouattara said the workshop will support the establishment and consolidation of the national regulatory framework to ensure consumer protection. "It is the globalization of the economy associated with increased consumer awareness, which has highlighted the need to develop the Quality Infrastructure. This new concept refers to all areas of activity in the metrology, standardization and testing sectors, quality management, and conformity development including certification and accreditation. Quality Infrastructure brings an important contribution to the economic and social development of a country. It represents a crucial element in an economy based on the division of labor and is therefore, necessary for the proper functioning of national, regional and international trade. The protection of the environment, health and consumers is not conceivable without an adequate Quality Infrastructure ... ", he said. For the Executive Secretary of the Committee of competition and the fight against the cost of living, Mr. N'kon Minanou, the workshop is of major interest, not only for the Government, but especially for the consumer. "The State of Côte d'Ivoire, through the Ministry of Trade, is constantly making decisions in the direction of consumer protection. I want for proof, the adoption of the law N ° 2016-412 of June 15, 2016 on the consumption and its various decrees of application. This law was adopted to strengthen existing policies by drawing on the guideline principles of the United Nations and relevant international agreements for the protection of consumers ", he explained. For the National Focal Point (NFP) of the WAQSP, Mrs. Azoda Deli Berthé who represented the Minister of Industry and Mines, "the ECOWAS quality policy not only promotes the economic competitiveness of the region through the provision of goods and services of world-class quality, but above all appropriate consumer protection and environmental preservation. This is to say that this policy, for its implementation, requires the intervention of organizations of consumer associations. That is why this workshop is held to equip you to play your role in the implementation of this quality policy of ECOWAS. The WAQSP, implemented by UNIDO and funded by the European Union (EU in the turn of  € 12 million, supports the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Quality Policy to "establish a framework for development and operation of appropriate, relevant, effective and efficient Quality Infrastructure to facilitate intra-regional and international trade, protect the consumer and the environment, and promote sustainable economic development ". It is for this reason that the WAQSP supports the capacity building of consumer associations and structures in charge of consumers for better protection of consumers.