Africa's future depends on better integration into international trade. Experience has shown that, despite its many development policies and plans, strategies and tools, Africa remains a continent that consumes goods and services mainly from abroad. Whereas we have a continent rich in all the products it needs to satisfy both its own and foreign consumers.

Solutions do exist, and the structures and expertise to propose and implement them are available on the continent. They have a great responsibility and deserve to be empowered and supported. They are equipped and ready to take up the challenge, especially when the aim is to contribute to the emergence of our economies, and put them on the track of economic and social development.

Bureau Norme Audit (BNA), which I have the honor of managing, is one of these companies. Our core business is the certification of products, people and organizations. We are the first accredited certification body in West Africa. One of the preferred response strategies of companies in our environment is to reduce internal resources. Often considered as a service that is not necessarily part of management priorities, this often has a negative impact on the resources devoted to the Quality system.

Understanding this context, BNA offers a service on the scale of the best in the international marketplace, but with costs and conditions on a par with companies in our environment. For BNA, an investment that does not serve economic and social development, particularly in the African context and in developing countries in general, is a non-citizen activity.

Our raison d'être is to help people live better, and to support decision-makers in their search for the best solutions. Be assured that we will devote all our energy to this ideal.

The economic and social development of our countries depends on the production, marketing and consumption of quality products, produced by quality human resources, all in a quality environment. BNA was created to play a key role in this process. As Director General of this organization, I am committed to ensuring that this mission remains a priority at all levels of our organization.


Olga ASOVIE KOUASSI
Director General, BNA
Member of the ECOWAS Community Committee for Conformity Assessment (ECOCONF)