A major milestone in the region’s quality assurance efforts was marked in Abidjan on May 27, 2025, as the West African Accreditation System (SOAC) celebrated the presentation of its 100th accreditation certificate.
The event, attended by senior national and regional officials, brought together stakeholders from across the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to mark two decades of progress in conformity assessment.
The accreditation certificate validates the competence and operational standards of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) across fields such as medical biology, testing and calibration laboratories, certification, and inspection.
The ceremony also marked the 20th anniversary of SOAC, established in 2005 by UEMOA regulation and operational since 2018.
Since then, the organization has issued 105 accreditation decisions, signaling a leap forward in quality infrastructure across the eight UEMOA member states.
Ivory cost now boasts around forty accredited CABs, a testament to the growing adherence to international standards in the region.
SOAC’s recognition by the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) enables international acceptance of its certifications.
The event featured several key moments: an institutional film on SOAC’s journey, the awarding of trophies to honorary members, and the symbolic handover of the 100th accreditation certificate.
That certificate was awarded to the tuberculosis testing laboratory at the Pasteur Institute of Ivory cost. Seventeen newly accredited CABs were also recognized.
Olga Kouassi, President of the Ivorian Association of Conformity Assessment Bodies (AIOEC), highlighted the hurdles CABs face and called on governments to include accredited bodies in public tenders.
“We invite all non-accredited CABs to comply with the standards,” she stated, urging greater collaboration with local institutions.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) representative Tidiane Boye praised SOAC’s “technical maturity,” citing its 75/100 score on the IQ4SD Index—a tool measuring the advancement of quality infrastructure systems.
Dr. Paul Koffi Koffi, UEMOA’s Commissioner for Business Development, Mines, Energy and the Digital Economy, praised SOAC’s “factual and concrete” achievements, noting that 92 CABs now hold active accreditations.
He also highlighted the financial accessibility of SOAC’s services, enabled by an 860 million FCFA grant allocated between 2019 and 2025.
Representing Ivory cost’s Agriculture Ministry, Professor Jacques Yao Datte applauded progress in agro-industries, citing key accreditations under ISO 17065, ARS 1000, and GLOBALGAP standards.
Olivier Daibo, representing the Minister of Trade and Industry, emphasized sustained government support for SOAC, including investments in infrastructure and the institution’s public utility recognition.
This landmark event affirms SOAC’s role as a cornerstone of trust, transparency, and technical reliability across West Africa’s certification landscape
