Ghana has achieved yet another major milestone in cementing its position as the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa beans.
On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, the West African nation’s Cocoa Marketing Company (COCOBOD) saw its subsidiary, Quality Control Company (QCC) receive two prestigious global quality certificates.
The accreditation, meant for cocoa testing and inspection, are ISO IEC 17020 and 17025.
They were presented to QCC by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The presentation ceremony coincided with the launch of a new country programme to improve trade quality and standards in Accra.
The Global Quality and Standards Programme (GQSP) is an innovative programme developed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and UNIDO to address country-specific quality and standards compliance capacity challenges in partner countries to facilitate market access for SMEs in selected value chains.
In Ghana, the project will strengthen the capacity of SMEs to comply with market requirements along the cashew, oil palm and cocoa value chains.
It will be implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and funded by the Government of Switzerland through SECO.
The GQSP will build on the results of the TCB Programme implemented in Ghana from 2007 to 2018 by UNIDO in partnership with the Government of Ghana and continue to strengthen the development of quality and standards.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ebenezer Owusu, Chairman of the Board of Quantity Control Company, said COCOBOD was the first organization to attain the accreditations in the West African Sub-region.
Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Phillip Stalder,
congratulated COCOBOD, saying these accreditations are achievements which mark a significant milestone for the Ghanaian cocoa industry.
He expressed the belief that with appropriate investment, the Ghanaian cocoa sector can do much better in the future.
He added that Switzerland will continue to support the Ghanaian cocoa industry.
Managing Director of QCC, Samuel Maxwell Nana Kakari Addo, outlined some benefits of the accreditation.
He stated it will lead to timely documentation of inspection data, adding that the accreditation has assured the global market of premium quality cocoa from Ghana.
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