EMS/Burkina Faso: The WAQSP builds capacity of national experts on the requirements of ISO 14001 v 2015 standard

As part of its activities, the West Africa Quality System Programme (WAQSP) organized, from 5 to 7 September 2018, at the headquarters of the Burkinabe Agency for Standardization, Metrology and Quality (ABNORM) in Ouagadougou, a training workshop for national resource persons on the requirements of the ISO 14001 v 2015 standard. A total of twenty-nine (29) people were thus equipped to increase the number of experts in the region in terms of Environmental Management System.

This training, which follows the one organized on the Quality Management System, was chaired by Mrs. Ginette GOUNGOUNGA, representing Mr. Issaka ZOUNGRANA, Director General of the Burkinabe Agency for Standardization, Metrology and Quality, Focal Point of the WAQSP , himself representing the Minister of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts of Burkina Faso.

In her opening remarks, she emphasized the importance of protecting the environment for a better life. She also stressed the need to reconcile the imperative of development and that of the protection of the environment. Mrs. GOUNGOUNGA then set the context of the ISO 14001 v 2015 training that comes after those held on the ISO 22000 and ISO 9001 standards, recalling the objectives and results of this training. She urged participants to be more assiduous during the three (03) days of training to strengthen their knowledge in environmental management, an important element of sustainable development.

She also paid tribute to the WAQSP for strengthening national expertise. Finally, she expressed the thanks of the Burkinabe Government to the European Union for the financing of this Programme and to UNIDO for its expertise and experience in the implementation of the WAQSP.

During the workshop, the participants learned a lot about the requirements of the Environmental Management System and the specificities related to this standard.

A closing ceremony was organized at the end of the training with the official delivery of the certificates to the participants.