IJCA - Volume 2 - Flipbook - Page 50
50 The International Journal of Conformity Assessment
in ensuring better access for
West African productions to the
markets of these two key partners
within the framework, in particular,
of the Economic Partnership
Agreement (EPA) (Europe) and the
African Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA) (USA).
Proficiency Testing and
SOAC-WAAS Accreditation:
Issues and Relevant
Provisions
Proficiency testing or interlaboratory comparison is one
of the main levers for ensuring
the performance of testing and
calibration laboratories. To
this end, the inter-laboratory
comparison tests are
requirements of international
standards, such as ISO/IEC
17025, ISO 15189, and ISO/IEC
17020. Thus, SOAC-WAAS has
contractual documents setting
the requirements for the interlaboratory comparison tests’
performance, in accordance
with the requirements of ILAC,9
AFRAC,10 and ISO/IEC 17011.11
Inter-laboratory comparisons
are organized by proficiency
testing providers who should
ideally meet the requirements
of ISO/IEC 17043 standard.12
These proficiency testing bodies
play an indispensable role in
the accreditation process. It is
clear that there are very few of
this type of CABs in West Africa.
Laboratories are often forced to
resort to extra-regional inter9 ILAC P10, ILAC Policy on Traceability of
Measurement Results & ILAC P14, ILAC Policy for Uncertainty in Calibration
10 TP003-01 AFRAC Guidelines on the Method for Stating Test and Calibration Results
11 Conformity assessment - Requirements for
accreditation bodies accrediting conformity
assessment bodies
12 Conformity assessment - General requirements for proficiency testing
laboratory comparisons, which
entails additional costs. To
overcome this lack of proficiency
testing bodies, the West African
Quality System Program (WAQSP)
of UEMOA and the Economic
Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) have initiated
activities to promote this specific
conformity assessment service.
The WAQSP (2014-2019) was
funded, in part, by the European
Union and executed by the United
Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO). In addition,
the Community Metrology
Committee (ECOMET) was created
by ECOWAS Council of Ministers in
2013, along with other attributions
in the field of scientific and
industrial metrology, to “organize
and promote the participation of
laboratories in inter-comparisons
and support the free movement
of metrological artefacts used for
comparisons.”13
In the UEMOA region, interlaboratory comparisons have
been initiated, particularly in Togo.
A national proficiency testing
program14 for medical laboratories
was implemented in 2016 by the
Ministry of Health. This program,
supported by the Mérieux
Foundation, was carried out by
the West African Network of
Medical Laboratories (RESAOLAB)
and involved 11 government
laboratories. The objective of
this program was to evaluate
the performance of 18 clinical
biochemistry examinations.
In order to develop accreditation
in West Africa, the governments
of the States are called upon
to redouble their efforts for the
13 Regulation C/REG.12/06/17 on the organization and functioning of the Community
Metrology Committee
14 The Togo national proficiency test pilot program for basic clinical chemistry tests, African
Journal of Laboratory Medicine, June 2022
development of inter-laboratory
comparisons and/or proficiency
tests in order to support the
accreditation of laboratories.
Also, at the regional level, the two
Commissions, namely that of
UEMOA and that of ECOWAS, must
continue to promote accreditation,
in particular by supporting
proficiency testing activities in the
member states.
Contribution of the
Governments of the UEMOA
Region
Governments, through public
policies, ensure the protection of
populations. As such, they use
accreditation as an instrument
allowing, on the one hand, the
support of the regulators, and on
the other hand, as a support for
the achievement of well-being
(health, environment, safety,
etc.). It should be noted that in
the UEMOA region, the Republic
of Côte d’Ivoire has already
a regulation that makes the
accreditation of CABs mandatory;
this is Decree No. 2014-461 on the
terms of application of the Law
n°2013 – 866 of December 23,
2013 relating to standardization
and quality. In this example, this
regulation used accreditation to
ensure protection of populations.
In addition, the accreditation
of CABs supports the
implementation of effective
product controls by the competent
authorities of UEMOA member
states, particularly in the sanitary
and phytosanitary field.
Conclusion
Accreditation constitutes an
important pillar of Quality
Infrastructure and contributes
to the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), in particular the protection
