The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has organised a two-day training workshop for journalists and media professionals on the West Africa Quality Systems Programme (WAQSP).

The WAQSP was instituted with the overall objective of strengthening regional economic integration and trade by creating an environment that facilitates compliance with international trade rules and technical regulations.

The GSA in collaboration with ECOWAS, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, the European Union and the Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) organized the workshop.

The two-day programme aimed at enhancing media professionals' understanding of standardization, conformity assessment and metrology (science of the study of measurements) to enable stakeholders such as service providers, the business community and the entire nation to see the importance of applying standards in their activities.

Dr George B. Crentsil, GSA Executive Director, in a speech read on his behalf said “by using standards, there is harmonization of technical specifications of products and services, thus, making industries more efficient and it also breaks down barriers to international trades.

“To be able to do this effectively and also to promote trade, we need to ensure that products and services conform to standards.”

Dr Crentsil said adhering to standards reassures consumers that products are safe, efficient and good for the environment.

He said effective dissemination of information could only come about if special efforts were made to train journalists on quality-related trade that would facilitate the dissemination of information and, thereby help in the education of all stakeholders for purposes of business expansion as well as trade growth and development.

The Executive Director said the GSA would continue to depend on media professionals as essential pillars and building blocks for the dissemination of information on quality matters.

Mr Robert Baffour Tandor, the Director of Standards, Ministry of Trade and Industry, noted that, the WAQSP phase three programme emphasized the need to develop or strengthen national quality infrastructure in the ECOWAS region.

He said under the programme, Ghana would build its test laboratories, which would enable its products to be acceptable in the sub-region.

He announced that the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the organisation, which develops and publishes International Standards, would on October 14, mark the International Standards Day.