EMS / Mali: 25 national resource persons trained to strengthen the critical mass of experts in the region in terms of the Environmental Management System

The West Africa Quality System Programme (WAQSP) organized on August 27, 28 and 29, 2018 in Bamako (Mali), at the Malian Agency for Standardization and Promotion of Quality (AMANORM), a training workshop on the requirements of the ISO 14001 V 2015 standard. A total of twenty-five (25) national resource persons were thus equipped to reinforce the critical mass of experts in the region in terms of the Environmental Management System.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Mrs AG ERLESS Oumou COULIBALY, Technical Advisor at the MID, representative of the Minister of Industrial Development.

In his introductory word, Mr. Yaya NIAFO, Director General of the Malian Agency for Standardization and Promotion of Quality (AMANORM), Focal Point of the WAQSP in Mali, recalled the overall objective of the workshop. He then thanked the Programme's partners, in particular the European Union, ECOWAS and UNIDO. Finally, he urged participants to benefit the most of this training at a time when climate change and sustainable development are still relevant.

As for Mr. Julien BOUZON, Head of Team Economics and Governance at the Delegation of the European Union in Mali, he thanked the organizers and the participants before recalling that the WAQSP was financed by the European Union for 7.8 billion CFA Francs for the period 2014 to 2018 in all ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania to support the implementation of the ECOWAS Quality Policy.

In her opening address, Ms AG ERLESS thanked the participants and partners for the interest in the event, and then reminded that the WAQSP has conducted a series of trainings in 2016 and 2017 in Food Safety Management System (SMSDA) and in 2018 in Quality Management System (QMS). Finally, she wished that at the end of the workshop, the participants would pass the EMS assessment and that, eventually, the companies and bodies would have a core of national EMS expertise for more competitiveness in the national, regional and international markets.

The work was conducted by Mr. Idrissa SIMBO DIAKITE, Consultant in charge of the training, under the direction of Mr. Mahamadou Moussa MAÏGA, National Technical Coordinator of the WAQSP, supported by his Assistant Mr. Issiaka ISMAÏLA of AMANORM.

During the three days, the participants were trained, among others, on the origins of the Environmental Management System; Environmental Management issues; the evolution of the ISO 14001 standard; the main novelties of the 2015 version of ISO 14001; the new ISO Standards structure and the requirements of ISO 14001 V 2015 and their application.

The training workshop on the requirements of ISO 14001 V 2015 standard ended with the delivery of certificates to the participations.