Business

UNIDO Global Quality and Standard Project launched

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and SECO has launched the Global Quality and Standard Programme (GQSP), in Accra.

 The SECO funded programme is aimed at enhancing the export competitiveness of Ghanaian commodities and it is another innovative programme to support the government to achieve the industrialisation agenda.

 Mr Yaw Nimo, Chief Director, MOTI said the programme was aimed at enhancing the export competitiveness of selected value chains in Ghana, including; cocoa, cashew and oil palm, which were high priorities on the government’s agenda to impact on the Ghanaian economy as a whole.

He said the selected commodities would also support government initiatives such as the 10-year cashew development plans, which distributed many cashew planting materials to farmers with the aim of increasing the raw material base for cashew processing in Ghana.

He said the global demand for oil palm on the international market was booming, driven largely by rising consumption of vegetable oils, and of the 17 major vegetable oils traded on the international market, palm oil was the most important.

“It accounts for more than half of the global import and export trade of all vegetable oils. Demand for palm oil is growing particularly fast and it is the most competitively priced vegetable oil. It is a key priority sector government is targeting to enhance economic growth,” he said.

Mr Nimo said one of the outcomes of the project was to create awareness of quality, which was crucial for the development of the Ghanaian industry.

“Increasing the quality awareness and demands from customers and the general public will go a long way to help with the government industrialisation plan.

“Enterprise Ghana” The GQSP’s focus areas speak to the key theme for Ghana’s Economic Transformation Agenda enshrined in government’s medium term development policy framework for 2018-2021 as it would help the government’s agenda for jobs: creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all SMEs in the selected value chains. He expressed appreciation to UNIDO and SECO for the new country programme which would help position Ghana strategically to compete successfully on the international and regional market.

 It would also be strengthened by relevant standards and national quality infrastructure.

 He commended the programme management team of UNIDO and SECO for the quality delivery and coordination exhibited over the years working with the Government of Ghana through MOTI, expressing the hope that the partnership would continue to reflect in the implementation of the GQSP.

Mr Juan Pablo Davila Sanchez, Projects Manager, UNIDO said the programme was to sustain the quality of cashew, oil palm and cocoa export for Ghana.

He said what was required to ensure the quality of products exported was not only the quality of the product, but the quality of all the processes behind the product.

To ensure that, the quality of the process were of high quality there was the need to look at each of the steps of the value chain.

“One of the actors involved are the institutions that ensure the quality and look at the value chain and estimate what is needed, look at the institutions at each step of the chain and their quality system,” he said. GNA

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