WAAS | SOAC WAAS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

The West African Accreditation System (WAAS) was accepted on 25 April 2022 as a signatory member of the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC). This recognition relates to testing laboratories (ISO IEC 17025); calibration laboratories (ISO IEC 17025) and medical laboratories (ISO 15189). A few days later, on 14 May 2022, the Resident Representative and Director General of SOAC, Mr Marcel Gbaguidi, signed the mutual recognition agreements of the International Laboratory Cooperation (ILAC).
It is in this context of excellence and a first in West Africa that the 4th General Assembly (GA) of SOAC was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 12 May 2022.

March 21,2022 Launch of the SOAC/WAAS 40/4 Review

40 months of implementation of the UEMOA- SOAC/WAAS Convention, 4 years of operation: keep yourself informed and participate in the activities of our 40/4 REVIEW, planned from 21 March to 31 May 2022.
March 28-April 1, 2022 40/4 REVIEW: SOAC/WAAS information mission to Lomé and holding of the 5th meeting of the Board of Directors
March 30, 2022 Presentation of the CEDRES SOAC/WAAS Accreditation diploma

SOAC/WAAS accreditation in medical labs, CEDRES Côte d’Ivoire // Deputy Chief of staff, Pr SORO Speech, Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage
April 14, 2022 Mission of the UEMOA Commission to SOAC/WAAS

Mission of the UEMOA Commission to SOAC/WAAS, from 14 to 16 April 2022 in the framework of the follow-up of the UEMOA-SOAC/WAAS grant agreement
April 27, 2022 SOAC/WAAS Press Breakfasts

The 2nd edition of the SOAC/WAAS press breakfasts was held on April 27, 2022, in the SOAC/WAAS premises with Dr. Nadine ABIOLA, I-TECH Côte d'Ivoire as Special Guest. Relive the essentials in our 90s Infoflash
April 28,2022 General Assembly Preparation

SOAC 40/4 REVIEW: Preparing for the General Assembly: GA Colleges Meetings, 28 – 29 April 2022.
May 12, 2022 SOAC General Assembly

The 4th General Assembly (GA) of SOAC was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 12 May 2022. The GA notably decided to maintain the Office: Mr. Aboubacry Baro, from Senegal, President of the Board of Directors and Mrs. Lolonyo Assah, from Togo, Vice-President, for a period of 2 years.
The two-year period granted to the Board will be used to consolidate SOAC/WAAS's current financing mechanism, update the statutes and prepare for the office renewal in 2024.
May 13, 2022 CALZADILLA - KOUASSI Award: 1st Edition of the West African Accreditation Award

The 4th General Assembly named the West African Accreditation Writing Award, the first of its kind, organized by SOAC/WAAS, the CALZADILLA - KOUASSI Award, in order to thank these two personalities (Mr. Bernardo Calzadilla Sarmiento, Managing Director at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Mr. Aka Jean Joseph Kouassi, Chief Technical Advisor of the Quality Infrastructure Component of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Competitiveness Programme). They have, in fact, supported the development of SOAC/WAAS for some twenty years, in a resilient manner, until obtaining this recognition.

The CALZADILLA - KOUASSI Award: 2 laureates were awarded, namely, the Journalist Award to Mr. Mahamadi Sebogo of SIDWAYA, a Burkina Faso newspaper of, and the Student Award to Ms. Rosalie Diène, a journalism student. The 1st Edition was based on the theme of digitalization and accreditation in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the fight against COVID-19; therefore, the prizes were computers, an annual connection to the ZOOM application for each of the winners and free registration to some SOAC/WAAS training modules.

Find all the activities of the launch of the 1st Edition of the Calzadilla - Kouassi Award
Click here
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS Honorary Members

Three personalities have been elevated to the rank of Honorary Member of SOAC/WAAS. H.E. Kalilou Traoré, President of the ECOWAS Quality Agency (ECOWAQ), Mr. Bernard Bau, Programme Manager at UNIDO and Mr. Aka Jean Joseph Kouassi (see above). These distinctions reward the commitment of these three personalities to the development of SOAC/WAAS, in particular in the mobilisation of financial resources.

Right, Mr. Bernard Bau,,
UNIDO Programme Manager

Right, Mr. Aka Jean Joseph Kouassi,
Chief Technical Advisor WACQIP/WACOMP/ECOWAS
May 13, 2022 Workshop on Financing Accreditation in West Africa, 13 May 2022

A workshop on the financing of accreditation in West Africa was organized on 13 May 2022, in the wake of the GA's major orientations; it registered several stakeholders, such as representatives of chambers of commerce of member states, the American cooperation in the field of health (CDC PEPFAR), the STDF/WTO (Standards and Trade Development Facility of the World Trade Organization), the West African Health Organization (WAHO), UNIDO, accredited laboratories or laboratories in the process of being accredited, to name a few. Among the main conclusions of this workshop, it was retained that laboratories can increase their income by communicating on their SOAC accreditation, which is now internationally recognized; funding from the American cooperation, for the benefit of laboratories, exists in the field of the fight against HIV AIDS; the contribution of the private sector, as a client of conformity assessment bodies (CABs), should be considered; in addition, there is the support of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), ECOWAS, in particular the Competitiveness Programme funded by the European Union (EU), the WAHO/ECOWAS laboratory support programmes, as well as the resources of the Member States that should be mobilized. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Aka Jean Joseph Kouassi, UNIDO Chief Technical Advisor & International Quality Infrastructure Expert.
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: Welcome Adress and Speeches

The evening of 13 May 2022 was an opportunity to celebrate the international recognition of SOAC during a gala dinner at the NOOM Hotel - Abidjan Plateau. This dinner was placed under the patronage of Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, President of the UEMOA Commission, effectively represented by Mr. Koffi Koffi, Commissioner in charge of the Department of Enterprise. He was joined by Pr. Thérèse Aya Yoman, former Minister of Health, Mr. Jacques Esso, Chief of Staff of the Minister in charge of Industry - Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Tidiane Boye, UNIDO Resident Representative for Côte d'Ivoire and Togo, Mr. Bernard Bau, Representative of UNIDO Managing Director, Trade Department, Dr. Shirish Balachandra, Country Director, CDC PEPFAR, Mr. Tra Bi, Director General of Industry, Côte d’Ivoire
The welcome address by the President of SOAC/WAAS, Mr. Baro, was followed by speeches by Mr. Balachandra, (CDC PEFFAR), Mr. Boye and Mr. Calzadilla (UNIDO) and Hon. Koffi Koffi, (UEMOA Commission); the opening address was delivered by Mr. Esso, Chief of Staff, on behalf of Hon. Diarrassouba, Minister in charge of Industry, Côte d'Ivoire. All the speeches focused on the exceptional nature of SOAC/WAAS's recognition, having mobilised national, regional and international expertise involved in accreditation issues for some twenty years.
In his message, Mr Calzadilla paid tribute to the pioneers behind SOAC/WAAS, who have since passed away, notably Mr Soumaïla CISSE, President of the UEMOA Commission (2004-2011), Mr Guy Amédée Ajanohoun, Commissioner of the Department in charge of Enterprise (2006-2016), Mr Pedro Vilaseca and Mr Soarez Faustino Vaz, respectively international and national experts in quality infrastructure.
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: On screen Presentation of a film on SOAC/WAAS 40:40 Review.

The film retraces the history of SOAC/WAAS and the perspectives of its international recognition.
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: Presentation of a symbolic training voucher in the framework of the support to the fight against COVID-19

The presentation of a symbolic training voucher to the Ministry of Health of Côte d'Ivoire for the free training courses organized by SOAC/WAAS in August 2020, in cooperation with UEMOA and WAHO, during COVID-19; they focused on quality (ISO 15189) and biosafety (ISO 15190) standards. The beneficiaries were the medical laboratories of the eight Member States and the Republic of Guinea
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: SOAC Gratefulness to Partner Institutions

Delivery of certificates of thanks to SOAC/WAAS's partner institutions (UEMOA/ECOWAS/European Union/UNIDO/Republic of Côte d'Ivoire)
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: medical laboratories in the spotlight

The presentation of their accreditation diploma to 5 medical laboratories in Côte d'Ivoire accredited to the ISO 15189 standard took place on 13 May 2022 in the presence of the Authorities. Beforehand, the representatives of the five laboratories gave their impressions on their SOAC/WAAS accreditation and its impact on their structures.

SOAC/WAAS Accreditation, Feedback, Dr. Antoinette LEGBEDJI, CNTS YKRO, Côte d'Ivoire

SOAC/WAAS accreditation / Feedback / Dr. TOURE, Director of RETROCI laboratory, Côte d'Ivoire

SOAC/WAAS Accreditation, Feedback, Dr. Karidiatou DIALLO, CEPREF, Côte d'Ivoire

SOAC/WAAS Accreditation, Feedback, Professor Hervé MENAN, CEDRES, Côte d'Ivoire

SOAC/WAAS Accreditation, Feedback, Professor Kiki BARRO, INSP, Côte d'Ivoire

SOAC/WAAS essentials in 90s: Pr Yoman gives her opinion on SOAC accreditation
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: Presentation of AFRAC Certificate

The evening of May 13, 2022 was the occasion to celebrate the international recognition of SOAC/WAAS during a gala dinner at the Hotel NOOM - Abidjan Plateau. This dinner was placed under the patronage of Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, President of the WAEMU Commission, effectively represented by Mr. Koffi Koffi, Commissioner in charge of the Department of Enterprise. He was joined by Pr. Thérèse Aya Yoman, former Minister of Health, Mr. Jacques Esso, Chief of Staff of the Minister in charge of Industry - Côte d'Ivoire, Mr. Tidiane Boye, UNIDO Resident Representative for Côte d'Ivoire and Togo, Mr. Bernard Bau, Representative of the UNIDO Managing Director in charge of the Trade Department, Dr. Shirish Balachandra, Country Director of CDC PEPFAR, Mr. Tra Bi, Director General of Industry, Côte d'Ivoire. The ceremony was marked by several highlights including (see below)
May 13, 2022 International Recognition of SOAC/WAAS: Impact on the Private Sector

Mr. Raymond ADJAKPA ABILE, Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin and Mr. Thomas TCHEOU, General Manager of DANONE Togo, member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo, explain the impacts of the international recognition of SOAC/WAAS for the private sector.
For Mr. TCHEOU: SOAC/WAAS is a boon for the private sector.
May 13, 2022 International recognition of SOAC/WAAS: Focus on impacts

At the end of the ceremony, the certificate of the signing of the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) mutual recognition agreements was presented to the authorities. At the same time, on 13 May 2022, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) accepted SOAC/WAAS as a signatory member, based on the AFRAC decision. Finally, the UEMOA Commission President, Mr DIOP, honoured SOAC/WAAS by signing a joint communiqué announcing the recognition of SOAC/WAAS to all, presenting its impacts, specifically for citizens and businesses.
May 13, 2022 SOAC/WAAS International Recognition Presentation Ceremony: In Memoriam

SOAC/WAAS is the fruit of twenty years of effort, Mr Calzadilla, on behalf of all the experts mobilised nationally and internationally, pays tribute to it.