By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), through its Systems Certification Department, is embarking on a transformation agenda to shift the focus of certification from merely obtaining certificates to improving business competitiveness and performance.
The initiative will prioritise faster and more transparent certification processes, sector-specific auditing and sustained post-certification support to help businesses improve operational efficiency and access new markets.
Madam Joyce Okoree, Director of Certification at the GSA, announced this on Thursday at the Authority’s Annual General Meeting in Accra.
The meeting, organised by the Systems Certification Department, was held on the theme: “Beyond Certification.”
Madam Okoree said certification should go beyond demonstrating compliance to delivering measurable benefits to businesses.
She said although the department had certified and recertified organisations across sectors, including food manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, health and other services, under various international standards, there was a need to ensure that certified organisations consistently maintained and effectively implemented their management systems.
“A certification on the wall is not enough. Too many organisations get certified to win a tender and then the system sleeps until the next audit. That is not why we exist,” she said.
She explained that the department’s mandate extended beyond issuing certificates to helping organisations establish effective systems that reduced waste, prevented accidents, improved customer satisfaction and opened up export markets.
Madam Okoree identified three key lessons from stakeholder engagements, including the need for auditors to move beyond fault-finding and become partners who offered practical solutions to businesses.
She said certification must also deliver measurable economic benefits by helping organisations reduce operational costs, minimise product rejection and gain access to new markets.
She noted that emerging requirements relating to artificial intelligence, sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations were increasingly influencing business operations and tender requirements.
To improve service delivery, she said, the department would introduce faster and more transparent certification processes through digitalisation, including online applications, clear fee structures, defined timelines and electronic certificates with QR-code verification.
The department would also integrate certification with training and continuous support to ensure that organisations sustained their management systems beyond the certification process.
The support would include internal audit training, auditor training, post-certification support sessions and periodic checks to strengthen the implementation and sustainability of management systems.
Madam Okoree urged industry players to regard certification as an investment rather than a cost, noting that certified businesses were better positioned to earn customer confidence, secure contracts, gain supermarket shelf space and access export opportunities.
She commended auditors and technical experts for their contribution to maintaining the credibility of the certification process and assured them of the department’s commitment to investing in their competence, integrity and welfare.
She reaffirmed the department’s commitment to working with industry players and other sta
keholders to make systems certification a practical tool for business growth and national development.
Dr Charles Kuranchie, Head of Systems Certification at the GSA, said certification should not be treated merely as an achievement but as a strategic tool for improving organisational performance, building customer confidence and creating opportunities for business growth.
He observed that while many organisations were enthusiastic about obtaining certifications such as ISO 9001 for quality management systems, some failed to fully integrate the requirements into their daily operations.
Businesses, he said, must ensure that their management systems were functional and consistently applied rather than preparing documentation solely to satisfy audit requirements.
Mrs Eunice Koran-Dwumah of Quality Assurance at Cleaning Solutions Limited commended the GSA for also using to sensitise GSA stakeholders on Quality Assurance, which she said had helped streamline the company’s quality management systems to meet international standards.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe