The National Quality Policy (NQP) of Sudan, which articulates the Government’s position on the quality of goods and services produced and consumed in the country, has been approved by key stakeholders. The NQP was presented during a “Towards High Competitiveness” workshop on 14 November under the patronage of H.E. Omer Manis, Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs on behalf of H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok.
This achievement is the result of extensive stakeholder consultations undertaken under the “Aid for Trade Initiative for the Arab States (AfTIAS)” project, supported by the technical expertise and longstanding experience of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in the field of quality infrastructure. The project, launched in 2013 by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) on behalf of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, facilitated the efforts of Sudan’s NQP Committee to formulate and adopt a strategy for implementing the NQP according to the TBT agreement of the WTO, which will help the country develop its standardization, metrology, accreditation and conformity assessment, and reinforce the Technical Regulation framework.
In his speech, Manis emphasized the practical role of UNIDO in countries’ transformation, among them Sudan, and commended the multidisciplinary partners involved in the process. He also called for the launch of a campaign advocating “quality culture” in Sudanese society. H.E. Madani Abbas Madani, Sudan’s Minister of Industry and Trade, insisted on the crucial role of quality in various aspects of production in order to ensure value addition in the entire economy.
Mohamed Elsayed Adam Ali Abdelmomen, UNIDO representative in Sudan, added that “The new policy will improve Sudan’s international competitiveness and lead to enhanced export performance, while supporting small and medium enterprises in conforming to national standards and complying with technical regulations, thus protecting the health and safety of the Sudanese people.”
The workshop participants also agreed to establish a National Quality Council which will coordinate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the NQP as per the approved roadmap and implementation plan.