By Jacob Parley
LIBERIA – The Liberian Government, through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), along with partners, on Thursday, November 10, 2022, held an official program commemorating World Quality Day.
The program was held at a local hotel in Mamba Point, Monrovia, with a considerable volume of emphasis on quality in providing goods and services to consumers.
Speaking on behalf of Commerce and Industry Minister, Mawine G. Diggs, Deputy Commerce Minister for Industry, Thomas Goba said Liberia was happy to join other countries across the globe to observe World Quality Day.
Mr. Goba said the theme for the 2022 Observance of World Quality Day: “Quality Conscience- Doing The Right Thing,” draws Liberia’s attention to the significant role quality plays in making the country’s industries competitive.
He said Liberia takes cognizant of its participation in several regional and global integration processes of economies that make trade a key driver.
He said every country stands the chance of increasing its economic potential and trade status by ensuring that its private sector is well positioned to exploit the vast opportunity availing itself, taking into account the current ECOWAS regional trade.
According to Mr. Goba, it is imperative for governments across the global community to ensure the creation of the necessary environment through the establishment of policies and legislative frameworks to drive growth for the private sector.
Deputy Minister Goba however observed that realizing quality goods and services cannot be achieved without a supportive environment that promotes growth and development.
Also speaking, the Special Representative of the ECOWAS Commission to Liberia, Josephine Nkrumah, said there are many products in the sub-region that have the ability to compete at the highest international level.
Madam Nkrumah however called for a sense of integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness in providing goods and services to consumers.
“Without the three, it doesn’t matter what kind of mechanization we have, it doesn’t matter what kind of quality system we put in place, if the underlying value system of us as a people is lacking, then everything we do will mean nothing,” said observed.
Ambassador Nkrumah also disclosed that lifting the West African Sub-region out of poverty requires that everyone will be able to do what is required.
The United Nations introduced World Quality Day in 1990, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of the quality performance of professional responsibilities and tasks across nations and in organizations to strengthen the improvement of innovation, growth, and sustainability.
As part of its efforts to enhance quality within the framework of national development, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with support from the West Africa Quality System Program, 2015, formulated the National Quality Policy, which is aligned with the ECOWAS Regional Policy and subsequently launched the National Quality Award (NQP).
Both tools are meant to provide national policy direction for the development of the national quality infrastructure and at the same time promote quality culture in Liberia. However, the NQP has not been revised since 2017, while the national quality award event has not been held since its second edition in 2019.
The 2022 World Quality Day Award went to Premier Milling Company.
