ECOWAS has drawn up a provisional list of national certification bodies eligible to issue its regional ECOQMARK quality label, following a review of accreditation applications at a meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, held from 15 to 17 October 2026.
The 12th meeting of the ECOWAS Conformity Assessment Committee (ECOCONF), convened by the ECOWAS Commission’s Directorate of Private Sector and Industry, was organised under the ECOWAS Quality Policy (ECOQUAL).
It received support from the Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme (ATCMA) – ECOWAS component, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
The provisional list covers the product categories for which the bodies met the eligibility criteria to issue the label.
The committee also reviewed and approved a regional programme for certifying the competencies of designers, installers and inspectors of off-grid solar photovoltaic systems, presented by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).
Participants discussed measures for West African products to comply with voluntary sustainability standards, which the meeting treated as a further driver of competitiveness and access to regional and international markets.
In its conclusions, the committee agreed that ECOQMARK must become a credible symbol of quality benefiting both producers and consumers, while strengthening confidence in products manufactured in West Africa.
It recommended that the Commission continue efforts to strengthen the technical capacities of Member States’ certification bodies, promote the ECOQMARK and foster a culture of quality in the region.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Delphue Yenpea Zuo, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Mr Peter Okonkwo Oluonye, Acting Director of the Private Sector and Industry Sector, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to building a credible, inclusive and effective regional quality infrastructure serving consumer protection, industrialisation, intra-community trade and the promotion of West African products on international markets.
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