After five (05) years of implementation, the third phase of the West Africa Quality System Programme (WAQSP) officially ends on September 19, 2019 with an overall achievement rate of 92.5% and convincing and tangible results. This necessitates the organization of the last regional Steering Committee meeting, from September 16 to 17, 2019, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. Delegations of ECOWAS, EU, UNIDO, and the National Focal Points and the National Technical Coordinators of the Programme took an active part in the work.

For this meeting, which took stock of the implementation of the program, the main focus was put on the results gathered, the conclusions to be drawn as well as the appropriate recommendations formulated by one and the other for a better structuring of the new program WACOMP.

At the opening of the meeting, the various speakers representing ECOWAS, the European Union and UNIDO reaffirmed the validity of the final programme which positively impacted the laboratories, companies, public and private sectors of the beneficiary countries (15 ECOWAS countries and Mauritania). "Since 2001, UNIDO has been working alongside the UEMOA Commission and since 2007, alongside that of ECOWAS, in the implementation of ambitious programs devoted to the establishment of a regional quality infrastructure which serves the private sector of the 16 States of the region both in the conquest of world markets by removing technical barriers to trade and placing safe products on the market for local consumers, " said Bernard BAU, project manager WAQS. "At the end of the five years of intervention and despite significant start-up delays, UNIDO is proud to present a very positive assessment of the program", he added. For Franck Okafor, who is in charge of program management, economic governance and cooperation at the EU Delegation in Nigeria, the EU appreciates the results achieved and is already working to support the new programme. Ms Adelaide Besemsigri, technical adviser to the Commissioner of Uemoa, representing ECOWAS, thanked all the stakeholders: the EU for the financing, UNIDO for the technical support, the private sector, the technical experts and all the actors who contributed to the achievement of the convincing and fascinating results for this final programme.

The different presentations made, among others, by the Chief Technical Advisor of the WAQSP, Mr. Aka Jean Joseph Kouassi and Mr. Bernard BAU, Project Manager, built the participants on the major advances in the assets of the Programme. Seduced, the participants expressed the wish that the new programme WACOMP works to sustain the achievements of the WAQSP with a strong involvement of the actors.

Before the end of the works, on September 17, 209, the documentary film on the results achieved by the Programme was screened to the great satisfaction of the participants and stakeholders.