Nigerian becomes Pan African Quality Infrastructure chairman

Director General and Chief Executive of Nigeria National Accreditation System, NiNAS,

Celestine O. Okanya, has been elected as the chairman of Pan African Quality Infrastructure, PAQI.

ROYAL NEWS reports that PAQI is the African Union Joint Committee on Quality Infrastructure.

Okanya, according to a statement by the Head ICT & Media of NiNAS and made available to our correspondent in Abuja, will be assuming the chairmanship role in March 2020.

It informed that PAQI was officially inaugurated on August 30, 2013 by the Director for Trade and Industry, African Union Commission, where members comprising of the African Accreditation Cooperation, AFRAC; the Intra-Africa Metrology System, AFRIMETS;  the African Electro-

technical Standardisation Commission, AFSEC and the African Organisation for

Standardisation, ARSO formalized their cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU.

The statement also explained that the mission of PAQI is to strengthen the regional and global competitiveness of Africa’s goods

and services and contribute towards an improved quality of life for the African people through

prudent use of standards, measurements, conformity assessment and accreditation. PAQI will be very instrumental to defining the conformity assessments, harmonized standards and metrological traceability of traded goods and services in implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.

The statement added that one of the ways PAQI strive to achieve its mission is through the development and implementation of African policies on standards, measurement, conformity assessment and accreditation that supports the realization of Africa’s economic integration and environmental sustainability.

It informed that Okanya is also the President of ECOWAS Regional Accreditation System overseeing the implementation of a harmonized system of accreditation of conformity assessment bodies.

The new NiNAS chairman, the statement further disclosed has served in Nigerian Army, academia, and led a couple of non-governmental organizations, NGOs in Nigeria and United States.

It expressed confidence that Okanya will make remarkable impact in his new assignment.