African Accreditation Cooperation AFRAC

🌍 28th PAQI Joint Committee Meeting Strengthens Africa’s Quality Infrastructure

The Director-General of the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS), Mr. Celestine Okanya, chaired the 28th Joint Committee Meeting of the Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI), which concluded successfully with key deliberations to advance Africa’s Quality Infrastructure agenda.

The PAQI Joint Committee brings together leadership from Africa’s continental Quality Infrastructure institutions, including African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), AFRAC, AFSEC, and AFRIMETS. Together, these institutions coordinate the pillars of Standardisation, Accreditation, Metrology, and Conformity Assessment, providing advisory and implementation support to the African Union.

Mr. Okanya emphasized Nigeria’s leadership in driving regional and continental Quality Infrastructure systems.

The meeting concluded with renewed commitment to collaboration, trust, trade facilitation, and consumer protection across Africa.

✨ Happy New Year from AFRAC ✨

Together with our members and partners, we continue to strengthen accreditation and mutual recognition across Africa—building trust, supporting trade, and enabling sustainable development.

Happy Africa Industrialization Day 2025 — a day to celebrate how accreditation underpins Africa’s industrial transformation, supports regional integration, and boosts innovation.

As part of the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC), we stand by the AfCFTA’s priority sectors, including pharmaceuticals, which are crucial for building resilient African industrial value chains.

Through mutual recognition of accreditation, the harmonized practices among African accreditation bodies help remove technical barriers to trade (TBTs). This means that test reports and certificates from one country are trusted across the continent — increasing market access, reducing costs, and accelerating the growth of African-made, quality-assured products.

On this Industrialization Day, AFRAC reaffirms its commitment to strengthening quality infrastructure, promoting intra-African trade, and enabling a truly integrated and competitive African market.

A New Era in Global Accreditation Begins!

The international accreditation community is entering a transformative phase with the establishment of the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated — a unified body that brings together the functions of IAF and ILAC to strengthen global trust, recognition, and coherence in accreditation.

AFRAC welcomes this milestone in global accreditation cooperation, which reinforces international confidence, enhances market access, and promotes consistent standards worldwide.

Celestine Okanya

AFRAC at the IAF/ILAC Joint Annual Meetings 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭

Several Accreditation Bodies (ABs) from across the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) are participating in the ongoing IAF/ILAC Joint Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.

This global gathering brings together accreditation leaders, technical experts, and policymakers to discuss emerging trends, harmonize practices, and strengthen mutual recognition across regions.

For AFRAC, participation in these meetings reinforces Africa’s voice in the international accreditation community, fosters collaboration, and ensures alignment with global conformity assessment standards — all key to enhancing trust in trade, sustainability, and quality infrastructure.

IAF-ILAC Joint Annual Meetings 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭

The IAF-ILAC Joint Annual Meetings are taking place from 15th to 24th October 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.

These meetings bring together accreditation and conformity assessment bodies worldwide to strengthen international cooperation, mutual recognition, and trust in accredited services.

AFRAC, through its member accreditation bodies, is participating in the meetings, ensuring that Africa’s voice is represented and actively contributing to global accreditation discussions.

This is a key event for advancing trade, quality infrastructure, and sustainable development through accreditation.

Celestine Okanya

Today marked the official sitting of the AFRAC General Assembly (GA), chaired by AFRAC Chairperson, Mr. Celestine Okanya.

The GA brought together members, stakeholders, and partners to receive and deliberate on committee reports, members’ updates, workplans, and key resolutions that will guide AFRAC’s future direction.

The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of AFRAC. It provides a platform for accountability, collaboration, and strategic alignment, ensuring that accreditation in Africa continues to support quality infrastructure, facilitate trade, and safeguard public trust across the continent.

Today, the AFRAC Executive Committee (EXCO) met under the leadership of our Chairperson, Dr. Celestine Okanya.

The EXCO plays a critical governance role in guiding AFRAC’s strategic direction, overseeing implementation of resolutions, and ensuring the smooth running of our operations between General Assemblies.

Composed of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and Convenors of AFRAC’s Committees, the EXCO ensures inclusive representation and coordinated decision-making.

This meeting reaffirmed AFRAC’s commitment to strengthening accreditation across the continent and supporting members in delivering globally recognized, trusted conformity assessment services.

AFRAC MRA Council in Action – Entebbe, Uganda

At the AFRAC General Assembly & Meetings in Entebbe, the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) Council convened under the leadership of Ms. Susannah M. Ochieng, Chairperson of the MRA Council.

The MRA Council is composed of Arrangement Members of AFRAC and plays a pivotal role in:
✅ Overseeing peer evaluations of accreditation bodies
✅ Ensuring confidence and consistency in accreditation across the continent
✅ Facilitating international recognition of African accreditation systems

Through this mechanism, AFRAC guarantees that certificates issued by accredited conformity assessment bodies are trusted across borders — truly living the principle of “once accredited, accepted everywhere.”

By strengthening trust and harmonization, the AFRAC MRA Council contributes directly to enhancing Africa’s quality infrastructure, boosting intra-African trade under AfCFTA, and opening international markets for African goods and services.

📸 Pictured: Members of the AFRAC MRA Council at the GA in Entebbe.

Shaping Africa’s Quality Infrastructure in Entebbe 🇺🇬

The AFRAC Technical Committee (TC) met today in Entebbe, Uganda, hosted by the Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS).

Under the leadership of Thabo Chesalokile (TC Chair) and Felista Nyakoe (Vice-Chair), the Committee reviewed and approved work plans and Terms of Reference for subcommittees, working groups, and task forces — ensuring alignment with AFRAC’s strategic objectives.

These decisions are key in setting direction for Africa’s quality infrastructure, strengthening technical coordination, and driving harmonization across the continent.

🔑 What happens here will shape tomorrow’s trust, trade, and transformation in Africa.

Strengthening Africa’s Quality Infrastructure

AFRAC congratulates the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) on signing a landmark MoU with Soac_waas and Nigeria National Accreditation System.

This collaboration will:
✅ Promote mutual recognition of accreditation systems
✅ Harmonize conformity assessment across Africa
✅ Strengthen the Pan-African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI)
✅ Facilitate intra-African trade under the AfCFTA framework

Together, we are building towards the vision of “One Standard, One Test, Accepted Everywhere in Africa.”