Quality Infrastructure Programme for Central Africa (PIQAC) results brochure

Mission and Approach The PIQAC programme aims to strengthen regional economic integration and trade through: The elaboration and adoption of national and regional Quality Infrastructure policies,

Approach

Compliance Assessment

The PIQAC approach focuses on the increase of the demand for quality infrastructure related services through: awareness, and partnerships and cooperation with the private sector. By stimulating the demands for this type of services, growing incomes for the national quality infrastructure institutions are generated. Thus, these organizations can strengthen their institutional and technical capacities and provide services which will meet the market's needs.

The establishment and the reinforcement of the Quality Infrastructure institutions providing efficient services to the private sector and to consumers for high-priority products,

Background Within the framework of the Programme to Support Trade and Economic Integration (PACIE according to the French acronym), the European Union and the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC according to the French acronym) have directed the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to implement the Quality Infrastructure Programme for Central Africa (PIQAC).

Component 1

The promotion of quality good practices to foster a quality culture among the private sector and among consumers in their production processes and/or behaviors.

Quality Policy

Component 2 Strengthening of institutions

Quality Infrastructure Programme for Central Africa (PIQAC)

Component 3 Awareness

Quality Infrastructure

Quality Policy

Standardization Accreditation Compliance assessment

Quality promotion Public sector Private sector Civil Society

Regulatory framework Protection of Consumers Products safety Legal metrology, etc.

Component 1 Component 1 aims to create a favorable environment for business at the regional and international level by developing a regional quality policy which will be adapted at the national level in the beneficiary countries in a second phase.

Component 2 Component 2 aims to create and/or reinforce quality infrastructure institutions providing services to the private sector, by focusing on coordinating standardization and promoting quality activities at the regional level. Certification capacities on food safety are strengthened, as are the competencies of the testing and calibration laboratories working in the prioritary sectors.

Allocated budget

5.8

million euros

Implementation duration

32

The Central African region is also characterized by a weakly developed private sector. The environment in which companies operate in is marked by structural and technological constraints, high costs and production factors of low quality.

Quality Infrastructure in Central African countries, which is supposed to play a vital role in any socio-economic development of the countries in the region, is lagging behind other regions of the world.

Implementation results as of the end of the year 2017

Component 3 Component 3 aims to raise the private sector and consumers’ awareness regarding the importance of quality, by training quality infrastructure professionals and organizing awareness workshops for beneficiaries in the sub-region. The final goal is to foster a culture of quality at a regional and national level, to influence the private sector and consumers’ behaviors, with regards to products’ safety and consumers’ protection.

PIQAC covers seven Central African countries, namely: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe. Economically, this region is characterized by an abundance of natural resources in soil and subsoil. Overall, the economies remain fairly vulnerable, as countries generally highly depends on international price fluctuations. In regards to trade, the level of business exchanges with the rest of the world and within the sub-region remains low; a situation mostly due to non-tariff barriers.

Standardization

Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation (TII) Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 300, 1400 Vienna, Austria tii@unido.org www.unido.org

Beneficiary countries Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of Congo Gabon Republic of Congo Sao Tome and Principe

This brochure showcases the programme's results as of the end of the year 2017 after three years of implementation from January 2015, according to PIQAC three major areas of intervention: the official texts developed at the regional level, the technical assistance provided to national quality experts, enterprises and laboratories, and the training organized for the programme’s beneficiaries.

Only 2 countries have an independent and operational National Standards Organization (Cameroon and Gabon), 1 country has a National Standardization Committee that is not fully operational (the Democratic Republic of Congo), 3 countries are in the process of establishing their own operational and independent National Standards Organization (the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo and Chad),

©2017 United Nations Industrial Development Organization

www.piqac.org piqac.afrique.centrale

Many testing and calibration laboratories operate in the Central African countries in the public and private sectors. Most of the public laboratories are characterized by deteriorated premises and equipment as well as a constant lack of equipment needed for their daily work.

In most public and private laboratories, the traceability of measuring instruments is not guaranteed and the appropriate management systems are missing, two necessary conditions that must be fulfilled in order to obtain accreditation according to the international standard ISO CEI 17025. It should also be noted that no organization in the sub-region offers accreditation services.

Certification Certification services in the sub-region are almost completely monopolized by international certification bodies (and Western ones). The lack of local certification bodies renders this service difficult for local economic actors to access, especially for SMEs, due to its high costs and long delays. As a result, certification is virtually limited to foreign trade and does not play a significant role in protecting the health and safety of the local populations. Nevertheless, a few countries have begun to implement conformity assessment programmes through private bodies such as: Gabon, Cameroon and Chad, and public bodies such as: the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Accreditation In Central Africa, there is no local accreditation body.

Laboratories which are considering going through the accreditation process face high costs and significant logistical difficulties to hire and pay the services of foreign accreditation bodies. Nevertheless, the development of an accreditation body remains a midto long-term need, as it is important to demonstrate to international investors the credibility of the laboratories of the region, through accreditation delivered by internationally recognized organizations.

Among the 7 Central African countries involved in the project:

months

and an extension of 13 months

Analyses and tests

This document was realized with the financial support of the European Union and without formal United Nations editing. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the PIQAC programme and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union, United Nations or its Secretariat.

1 country does not have any National Standards Organization (Sao Tome and Principe).

This programme is funded by the European Union

This programme is implemented

by UNIDO

The above findings and the state of play of the quality infrastructure in the 7 beneficiary countries of Central Africa stem from the mapping of quality infrastructure completed during the beginning of the PIQAC implementation phase.

PIQAC, which aims to strengthen competitiveness and diversify the productive sectors through support to regional and national quality infrastructure institutions, is thus implemented by UNIDO with funding from the European Union in collaboration with the CEMAC and the Economic Community of the Central African States (CEEAC according to the French acronym).

Line 1

Line 2

Line 3

Development of texts for the establishment of a Regional Quality Infrastructure

Technical Assistance to national consultants, food processing companies and laboratories

Training and awareness workshops

1

3

2 A regional quality policy

A strategy for the harmonization of the standardization activities at the regional level

A frame of reference for the creation of a Regional Quality Award

All the texts have been approved and adopted during a meeting of the Council of the Ministers of the Central African Economic Union (UEAC according to the French acronym) on 16 February 2017.

Development of a Regional Quality Policy 4 major documents developed within this framework: The Regional Quality Policy document Regulations on the implementation of the Regional Quality Policy The guide to adapt the Regional Quality Policy at the national level The action plan for the implementation of the Regional Quality Policy

Background Within the framework of the PIQAC component 1, the establishment of a regional quality policy adapted at the national level in each beneficiary country is expected, in order to further develop effective services in the field of quality infrastructure in the long term. The quality policy has been developed according to the key findings underlined by the mapping of the legislation and quality infrastructure institutions existing in the beneficiary countries, completed by PIQAC at the beginning of the implementation phase.

Methodology, composition and functioning of the technical working group “Regional Quality Policy and Regional Quality Award” (GTT/PQR according to the French acronym)

Elaboration of a regional harmonization mechanism for standardization and quality promotion activities

The creation of the participative technical working group GTT/PQR followed the mapping of the existing quality infrastructure institutions in the beneficiary countries. The group was made up of national experts of the beneficiary countries and representatives of the CEMAC and of the CEEAC. This group, together with the international UNIDO expert, developed the quality policy and assisted the expert in every step leading up to the adoption of the policy by all the key stakeholders of the different countries.

5 major documents developed within this framework

The development of the policy has been discussed during several awareness and consultation workshops, in order to choose a model to adopt that would be in accordance with the best international practices. The first version of the texts has been discussed with the key stakeholders of the beneficiary countries during the National Steering Committees, at the end of which recommendations were made in order finalize the Regional Quality Policy.

The strategy for the harmonization of the standardization activities in Central Africa The memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the Regional Organization for the Harmonization of Standardization Activities in Central Africa, (CEMACNORM according to the French acronym) The internal rules and regulations of the CEMACNORM The planning for the implementation of the Strategy for the Harmonization of the Standardization Activities in Central Africa The two draft bills on standardization in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Central African Republic

Background The component 2 of PIQAC aims to create and/or reinforce the quality

infrastructure institutions providing services to the private sector in the region, focusing on coordinating standardization and quality promotion activities at the regional level (CEMACNORM).

The beneficiary countries are also supported in the revision of their standardization regulations, in order to adapt them to the legal framework of the CEMACNORM. An analysis of the existing national standards bodies and management offices within the supervising ministries, as well as an examination of the existing state of the national quality infrastructure in each country, was carried out during the first months of the implementation phase. The analysis showed that every country established regulations on standardization except for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Methodology, composition and functioning of the working group “Regional Mechanism for the Harmonization of the Standardization Activities in the region” (GTT/PQR according to the French acronym) In collaboration with the international UNIDO expert, a participative working group for the establishment of a Regional Mechanism for the Harmonization of the Standardization Activities has been created, made up of national experts of the beneficiary countries and representatives of the CEMAC and CEEAC. The objective was to foster the elaboration of a Regional Strategy for the Harmonization of Standardization and of a memorandum of understanding on standardization (CEMACNORM), and to support the international expert in the validation and adoption of the final strategy and agreement by the key stakeholders of the beneficiary countries. Several consultation workshops have been organized, during which the strategy and agreement drafts have been elaborated. The documents have been

discussed with the stakeholders of the different countries during the National Steering Committees, at the end of which recommendations were made to finalize the texts. The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, which had prepared draft bills on standardization, requested UNIDO support to verify the compliance of their drafts with the best international practices and revise them accordingly.

Therefore, activities dedicated to these two countries were implemented.

Elaboration of a frame of reference for the creation of a Regional Quality Award 8 major documents developed within this framework The frame of reference of the Regional Quality Award The Guide detailing the frame of reference of the Regional Quality Award The guide for applicants The additional act leading up to the creation of the Regional Quality Award The regulation for the creation, organization and functionning of the jury of the Regional Quality Award The general regulation of the Regional Quality Award The internal rules and regulation of the jury A human resources and a marketing and advertisement strategy for the organization of the first Regional Quality Award

Background The component 3 of PIQAC targets both the companies and the consumers of the region and promote a quality culture, in order to improve their behaviors towards quality, its principles and practices. The objective is to reach an

understanding of the importance of quality and consumers' protection at the national and regional levels.

Methodology, composition and functioning of the working group “Regional Quality Award” (GTT/PQR according to the French acronym) For the establishment of the Regional Quality Award, an international UNIDO expert has been hired to analyze the existing awards and state of play of the industrial fabric in the different beneficiary countries. The expert worked in close collaboration with the national experts of the different countries, as well as with representatives of the CEMAC and CEEAC within the technical working group on the Regional Quality Award (GTT/PQR). A project of frame of reference elaborated by the working group during the meetings has been shared and discussed with the stakeholders of the different countries, in particular during the National Steering Committees, at the end of which recommendations were made to consolidate the final documents of the Regional Quality Award.

www.piqac.org + 15 000 users 21 national consultants benefit from a practical training in the same field

21

Among them, 10 consultants receive a skills training to become a third party auditor for ISO 22 000.

TCHAD

21 food processing companies benefit from a technical assistance to implement an ISO 22 000 Food Safety Management System or Good Hygiene Practices

CAMEROON

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

GABON

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

RÉPUBLIQUE OF CONGO

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

7

7

laboratories will be supported in their aim to be accredited will be provided with functionality support

National consultants

Food processing companies

Testing and calibration laboratories

21 national consultants were trained in total.

Among them, 10 were trained as IRCA third party auditors in ISO 22000

960 people were trained in total

210 people were trained in total

The support to enterprises aims to lead to the certification of 21 food processing companies –3 per beneficiary country-, in accordance with the standard ISO 22 000, “Food Safety Management System”.

At the end of the impartial selection made by PIQAC, the first 7 laboratories benefit from a support to be accredited according to the standard ISO 17025, “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”. The other 7 laboratories benefit from a support to functionality. It is also expected within this framework to provide the 14 laboratories with the necessary equipment for their effective functioning.

The objective of the technical assistance for the PIQAC national consultants is to provide each beneficiary country with a national expertise in the field of sanitary security, in order to sustain the benefits of the programme.

At the end of a selection based on impartial criteria established by the programme, the 21 selected consultants received two sessions of theoretical training and were assigned to an enterprise supported by PIQAC, in order to participate in the technical assistance missions carried out by the international PIQAC experts and to benefit from the coaching of these experts.

After the theoretical training and the assessment of the pre-diagnosis that was carried out by the 21 national consultants, 10 of them were selected to the skills training to become a third party auditor for ISO 22000.

At the end of a selection based on impartial criteria established by the PIQAC programme, the 21 food processing companies were selected, and, for the companies which, according to the assessment carried out by the international experts at the beginning of the programme, are not ready to implement a Food Safety Management System yet, support in implementing Good Hygiene Practices has been provided.

The personnel of the selected companies received training either on the requirements of the standard ISO 22 000 or on the Good Hygiene Practices. The companies are currently being supported to implement these good practices or a Food Management System towards certification.

At the end of the technical assistance to the 7 first laboratories, they will benefit from an internal auditing test in order to apply for the accreditation in accordance with the standard ISO 17025.

Facebook

949

1617

people participated in the awareness workshops about quality

people trained during the training organized by PIQAC so far

717 women

+ 350 people follow regularly the PIQAC Facebook page

70 +

Methodological guides and promotional material

more than 70 days of training organized

7 methodological guides developed Promotional material developed: brochures, posters, post cards, goodies...

The 3rd component of PIQAC aims to raise awareness among the private sector and consumers about the importance of quality in order to change their behavior towards a quality culture.

Within this component and the result “the understanding of the importance of quality and consumers’ safety and protection is reinforced at a national and regional level”, several training have been organized.

First semester training Participants’ satisfaction rate : 88.55% The first semester training was carried out in the 7 beneficiary countries and was related to 3 different themes : Introduction to standardization, Introduction to the importance of quality, Introduction to the assessment of compliance and accreditation.

Second semester training Participants’ satisfaction rate : 90% The second semester training was related to 3 topics: Standards elaboration process,

Focus PIQAC

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) method management,

7 quarterly newsletters developed, sent out to more than 1800 contacts and distributed in the beneficiary countries

Introduction to the standard ISO 17025.

The training have been organized in all the beneficiary countries so far, except for the standards elaboration process, organized in 5 countries.

Press coverage More than 250 mentions in the local and regional press (reportages, TV, radio, newspaper articles, online articles…)

Third semester training Ongoing The third semester training started in October 2017 in the beneficiary countries and focuses on : Introduction standards

to

the

ISO

14001

Internal audit according to the ISO 22 000 standard.

Raising awareness about the importance of quality, its principles and practices To improve the consumers' knowledge about quality (food safety rules, legal metrology, etc.), as well as to foster a culture of quality within the region, PIQAC organized awareness workshops to which 949 people attended so far, in partnership with the civil society of the beneficiary countries, notably consumers associations and heads of companies.

The figures of the expertise mobilized by PIQAC Number of days of expertise mobilized:

Line 1 200

Line 2 1078

Line 3 92

Total 1370

Programme appropriation at national and regional levels Number of National Steering Committees : 24 in total (2, 3, 4 or 5 according to the country) Number of Regional Steering Committees : 3, gathering all the programme stakeholders