GHANA – Quality Control Company (QCC), a subsidiary of Ghana cocoa Board has launched its QCC laboratory accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), for inspection of cocoa activities and testing on pesticide residue.
The two important and enviable accreditations (ISO 17020 and 17025) granted to QCC’s laboratory are aimed at assuring the global market of the premium quality of cocoa produced in Ghana.
Mr Samuel Maxwell Karikari Addo, Managing Director, QCC, said that the accreditation has offered their inspectors high levels of professionalism, confidentiality, timely delivery of inspection services to customers and adaptation of good code of discipline because of traceability of inspection services.
“We are also in the process of expanding our equipment installation for heavy metal analysis in cocoa and other agriculture projects,” he added.
The Project Manager, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Juan Pablo Davila Sanchez, commended QCC for successfully completing the accreditation process for their testing and inspectorate services, which makes them the first cocoa inspection body in West Africa to be accredited to international standards.
“This accreditation places Ghana ahead of other countries in the conformity assessment process on the global cocoa market. Accredited services have a series of benefits including an overall increase in company profits, reduction in litigation issues, as well as increasing the inspection body’s market share in service provision,” he expressed.
The unveiling of the accredited laboratory was done alongside a US$1.5 million Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP).
The GQSP, is a three-year programme founded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) aimed at improving quality and standards of specific sectors of the economy such as the Cocoa, cashew and oil palm.
It will be implemented by UNIDO in partnership with related stakeholder organisations such as the Cocobod, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Export and Import Promotion Authority.
The project will improve national quality system to provide state-of-the-art conformity assessment services, build capacity of all actors in the sectors to improve culture of quality in selected value chain and create demand-driven quality infrastructure for sustainability.
At the end of the three-year programme, Ghanaian SMEs in the selected sectors are expected to be compliance with international standards and technical regulations.
