Story by: Ishmael Barfi
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) Laboratory has become the first to receive accreditation in Testing Methods in Accra.
This accreditation is a result of the Laboratory’s 2023 ISO accreditation, where the international recognition of GSA in the testing of regulated products in cosmetics has improved.
Therefore, puts the laboratories in an enviable position to compete with laboratories in Europe and Western countries.
This was disclosed in a press release issued by the Communications unit of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Accra, today 12th December, 2023.
GSA COSMETICS LABORATORY BECOMES FIRST TO RECEIVE ACCREDITATION IN TESTING METHODS IN AFRICA
According to the release, the framework of the EU-financed West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) provides technical support to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) Cosmetics Laboratory, to strengthen its competence to test and certify cosmetic products produced in Ghana.
The release further explained that the GSA cosmetic laboratory has been supported to increase its testing capabilities in applying DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 and has been enhanced to upgrade its capabilities for conformity assessment activities.
“The laboratory was assessed on-site by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) an entrusted national accreditation body of the Federal Republic of Germany and has been accredited effective 13th November 2023”, it said.
Adding “This puts the laboratory of Ghana’s GSA in the lead with the largest ISO accreditation scope in Africa to be accredited in Cosmetics test methods.”
Dr. Martin Adarkwah–Yiadom, Head of Drugs, Cosmetics, and Forensic Science Laboratory of the GSA commenting on behalf of Professor Alex Dodoo, Director General of the GSA said the team worked hard for this achievement and is grateful to the European Union and UNIDO for the various capacity building for the GSA and the support to receive the accreditation.
“We are grateful to our sponsors, the EU, UNIDO, and WACOMP for their continuous support over the years. The accreditation to test cosmetics supports the GSA’s mandate of using standards to contribute towards the growth of industry, protect consumers, and facilitate trade through standardization, metrology, and conformity assessments,” he acknowledged.
On her part, Mrs. Ebe Muschialli, the Project Manager of WACOMP – Ghana affirmed: “The support to GSA Strengthens an already established relationship with UNIDO in making products and services from Ghana globally competitive and promotes intra-African trade.”
About UNIDO
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition and work towards improving living conditions in the world’s poorest countries by drawing on its combined global resources and expertise.
For more information about UNIDO, please visit: www.unido.org
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
