The official launching ceremony of Management System Certification Body (MSCB) at Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB) Head Quarters Ferry Junction Freetown on Thursday 4th May 2023 was graced by the Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Edward Hinga Sandy, UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone Mr Babatunde Ahonsi , EU and UNIDO Representatives.
The establishment of Management System Certification Body MSCB at the Sierra Standards Bureau is a novelty, as it’s the first in the country. Companies desiring their management systems to be certified pay certification fees to the tune of $8000 to $10’000.Operationalising a Management
System Certification body at the Sierra Standards Bureau (SLSB) means less cost incurred by companies for certification.The process started in 2019, with a series of trainings conducted by both UNIDO Technical experts based in the country and international experts from overseas.The required documentation have been developed including Quality Procedures (QP’s) and their related formats (FT), Public documents (PD’s), Work Instructions(WI’s), Quality Systems Manual (QSM) ,Quality Policy, Confidentiality Statement, and Certification Agreement to mention a few.Documentation review was conducted by the UNIDO Technical Team and is found to be compliant.
In fulfilment of the requirement for Lead Auditors , the assessment is done at two levels; Written examination conducted by the International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA), a professional Body set up the assessment of auditors the world over. Practical Assessment of both personnel and the documentation by an accredited institution, in this the Egyptian accreditation Council (EGAC)Staff of the Management System Certification Body have successfully gone through both assessments and are now being certified as trained Auditors. Pre-Assessments were conducted in two factories to ascertain their readiness for Certification, namely Kings Production that trades in Non-alcoholic beverages and Real Value Foods, which Produces Chicken Meat Sausages.Real Value Foods demonstrated evidence of compliance with the assessment criteria and was therefore nominated for accreditation.A comprehensive Management System Audit were conducted at Real Value Foods Ltd. by trained Auditors from Standards Bureau under the observation of an External Assessor from the International Accreditation Service(IAS),an Internationally Acclaimed Accreditation Company. This Company demonstrated compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System standard(QMS) and has therefore been recommended for certification.Having gone through all the processes mentioned above, the management system certification body at SLSB has been accredited by international Accreditation Services( IAS )to carry out systems audits and take a certification decision as to whether a company in compliance with the requirement of ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard PRE-REQUISITES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MSCBTraining in the relevant standards.ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management SystemISO 17021: 2015-Cconformity Assessment -Requirements for Bodies providing audits and certification of management systems1SO 19011 – 2018 Guidelines for auditing management systemsTraining in developing the required documentation.Trained and qualified auditors.BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATIONGlobal acceptance and recognition of products and servicesReduced cost of certification fees compared to hiring external Certification BodiesConsistency in the quality of products and services to ensure effectiveness in the processes and controls needed for production
Enhanced competitiveness
Increased customer trust and satisfaction
Improved company reputation and brand name
Increased market share and profitabilityEasier market entry for products and services Increase in exports as more suppliers prefer certified companies. Enlists the country among quality conscious nations around the world
Certification of companies does not only facilitate the movement of goods across borders, it also boost the country’s export potential. Certification puts the country in a good stead for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Sierra Leone will be enlisted among quality conscious nations the world over
