ECOWAS fetes West African companies championing quality
More than 20 awards were presented have been recognized during the first edition of the ECOWAS Quality Award, to companies, personalities and institutions, for their contribution to the promotion of quality in West Africa.
By rewarding the best companies in the region in quality issues, the ECOWAS Commission encourages the economic operators to improve the quality of the products and services they offer to consumers.
The companies Clina-Lancet Laboratories (Nigeria), AGETIP-BENIN (Benin) and FILTISAC (Côte d'Ivoire) received the Award of Excellence in the small, medium and large companies’ categories respectively. Also recipient of National Quality Awards, the three companies now serve as models in the region for quality management systems. The ECOWAS Commission is now planning, with support from the West Africa Quality System Programme (WAQSP), a series of promotional activities to share their best practices with other enterprises in the region.
The awards were presented based on the results of audits conducted with the candidate companies. Within each category, special awards for leadership, product development, resource management and stakeholder orientation were also presented.
The ECOWAS Quality Award is a major component of the ECOWAS Quality Policy – called ECOQUAL. It is part of the Commission's many efforts to promote the "culture of quality" throughout West Africa. The award ceremony was organized as part of the WAQSP, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNIDO.
The ceremony took place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in the presence of West African ministers and their representatives, experts and leaders of companies nominated for the award.
