Accreditation of Agri-Food and Medical Laboratories in the UEMOA Region: An Opportunity for the Promotion of Sustainable Public Health

Abstract

In an increasingly changing and demanding world, Quality Infrastructure is an instrument that is both important and essential in a context marked by health, environmental, economic, and social issues. Among the pillars of Quality Infrastructure, accreditation plays an important role, ensuring the technical competence and integrity of bodies offering conformity assessment services, such as testing, medical testing, calibration, certification, inspection, and validation/verification based on recognized international standards. The objective of this article is to highlight the importance and role of the Système Ouest Africain d’Accréditation/West African Accreditation System (SOAC-WAAS) in preserving and promoting the health of populations and the competitiveness of West African economies. Given the importance of accreditation, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) that gathers eight countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo) created, in 2005, SOAC-WAAS, a multi-economy accreditation body. The latter is the only authorized accreditation body for the eight UEMOA member states. Its mission is to deliver and promote accreditation in the community area, particularly through the issuance of accreditation certificates to conformity assessment bodies (CABs). To date, SOAC-WAAS has accredited forty-six (46) conformity assessment bodies, including four (4) calibration laboratories, three (3) certification bodies, and thirty-nine (39) testing laboratories. Among the SOAC accredited testing laboratories, one (1) is in the field of forensics and ten (10) are medical laboratories. Fourteen (14) testing laboratories and the three (3) accredited certification bodies are operating in the agri-food sector. This result, which is certainly insufficient for the entire UEMOA region, is still encouraging and contributes to the preservation of health and protection of the population, particularly with regard to accredited agri-food and medical testing laboratories.