Executives from The Nigerian Institute of
Food Science and Technology (NIFST) paid a courtesy visit to the Nigeria
National Accreditation System (NiNAS) on Thursday, February 20, 2020. NIFST is
the only Registered Non-Profit Making Body representing Food Professionals
drawn from the Academia, Industry, Government and Research Institutes in
Nigeria.
The purpose of the visit as mentioned by the
Chairperson, Veronica Eze, was to understand how both organizations can
collaborate and derive mutual benefits for each other which will impact
positively on the Nigerian economy.
In the course of the meeting, the DG of NiNAS, Mr. Celestine Okanya talked about how strategic NIFST is to the quality infrastructure of the nation describing them as “major stakeholders”. Hence, fostering a good relationship with NiNAS is not just mutually beneficial but also key to building the nation. He went on to speak about possible partnerships in Trainings related to ISO standards that concern food technology stating that this would definitely grow NIFST membership base.
At the end of the meeting, the DG expressed
his profound appreciation to NIFST for the visit and they in turn expressed
their gratitude and promised to build on the relationship.
The Director-General of NiNAS, Celestine Okanya, paid a courtesy visit to the Fundamental Integrated Site Appraisal Services Limited (FISAS) facilities.
FISAS is the First Integrated Geological and Environmental Data Collection and Interpretation Company in Nigeria. They provide Investors and Developers with full services in integrated design data necessary for sustainable infrastructure development and maintenance management. FISAS’s specialties include Geo Data Collection, Interpretation and Survey, Geophysics, Environmental Studies, Soil Investigations, and Testing services.
The visit was carried out mainly to understand the accreditation needs of FISAS particularly in her conformity assessment services which include Sample Testing, Certification and Inspection services. FISAS had achieved ISO 9001 Certification and will be seeking accreditation for relevant standards
NiNAS evaluates the competence of medical laboratories for
accreditation using the ISO 15189 standard. Considering the role medical
laboratories play in the healthcare system of the country, NiNAS has taken
measures to raise the awareness on the accreditation of medical laboratories.
One of the measures taken is the organization of a 3-day training course for
prospective assessors and laboratory medicine practitioners.
This training is the first in the series of a 4-stage
training programme for assessors that will participate in accreditation
activities. It will enable participants to gain knowledge of the requirements
for competence in medical laboratory services as defined by the aforementioned
Standard. Participants will also learn key applications of the Standard as well
as understand the key concepts for implementing a quality management system
which serves as a prerequisite for accreditation of clinical laboratories.
The training course is open to those who are currently active
practitioners in medical laboratories and those with previous laboratory
assessment experience. The eligible participant must be active on the bench and
willing to involve in the assessment of medical laboratories using ISO
15189:2012 as a basis for accreditation. Attendance are expected from Clinical
Microbiologists, Chemical Pathologists, Hematologists, Anatomic pathologists
and other sub-specializations.
Training information
Date: 11th to 13th March, 2020.
Venue: Chelsea Hotel, Plot 123 Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central Business District, Abuja.
Time: 9am daily.
Cost: N 150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand naira) only for the 3-day training course.
The
Director General and Chief Executive of Nigeria National Accreditation System
(NiNAS), Celestine O. Okanya has been confirmed as
the Chairman of Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) on Wednesday,
February 12, 2020. Mr. Celestine will be assuming the chairmanship role in
March, 2020.
PAQI
was officially inaugurated on the 30th of August 2013 by the Director for Trade
and Industry, African Union Commission, where members comprising of the African
Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC), the Intra-Africa Metrology System
(AFRIMETS), the African Electro-technical Standardisation Commission (AFSEC)
and the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) formalized their
cooperation as members of the Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) by
signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
The
mission of PAQI is to strengthen the regional and global competitiveness of
Africa’s goods and services and contribute towards an improved quality of life
for the African people through prudent use of standards, measurements,
conformity assessment and accreditation.
One
of the ways PAQI strive to achieve its mission is through the development and
implementation of African policies on Standards, Measurement, Conformity
Assessment and Accreditation that supports the realization of Africa’s Economic
integration and environmental sustainability.
NiNAS
wishes its Director General success in this huge continental assignment. We are
confident that he will make remarkable impact in this new and well-deserved
appointment.
Representatives of Nigeria
National Accreditation System (NiNAS) led by the Director General, Mr.
Celestine Okanya, paid a courtesy visit to the Raw Materials Research and
Development Council (RMRDC) on Tuesday February 4, 2020.
The purpose of this visit was to
establish a partnership between NiNAS and RMRDC to drive the nation and its
economy to a point of global recognition across all standards.
In the course of the meeting, the
DG of NiNAS stated the importance of having strong institutions like the RMRDC
to rely on as regards national and economic growth, then went on to explain the
role of NiNAS in this pursuit. He sighted NiNAS as a “Support Arm” with the
sole responsibility of ensuring that every other Agency, especially Conformity Assessment
Bodies involved in the provision of quality related services are in line with International
standards. Mr. Okanya also mentioned the wealth of raw materials possessed by
the nation and the role played by the
Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) from the production
phase to the export phase as finished goods. He went further to state that the
magnitude of work involved in the development process of these raw materials
coupled with harnessing the available opportunities would be heavy on the
council and on this note extended a hand of friendship to them. He promised to
work closely with the council in some of those areas, ensuring that the RMRDC functions remarkably well to the point of
being compared with peers abroad.
The Director General of RMRDC, Prof.
H.D. Ibrahim, stated that the mandate of the council is a wide one but can be
narrowed down to areas where both parties can function as partners. He also
expressed his joy following the positive accreditation status of their
laboratory. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of a research based
institution like RMRDC having an established laboratory that can serve SMEs and
Small scale manufacturers in terms of processing their export products. In this
regard, he is certain that both organizations can be good partners in ensuring
the existence of such laboratories, and if already in place, the accreditation
process can be advocated for until the council can become a reference point.
Other possible avenues for partnership as mentioned by Prof. Ibrahim include training
and capacity building, establishment of Structure(s) for Personnel-Certification
Programs and Promotion of raw materials research and development industries.
At the end, Prof. Ibrahim
expressed his profound appreciation to NiNAS and took the team on a tour to
their resource center.
