Fikile Skosana
AFRAC Secretariat

The 14th African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) General Assembly (GA) and meetings were held from 25-29 September 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. The meetings were officially opened by Dr Juma Mukhwana, HSE Principal Secretary, State Department for Industry, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Numerous officials gave opening speeches, including the Hon. James Gakuya, Chairman, The Kenya National Assembly on Trade, AFRAC Chair Dr Ron Josias, Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) Chair Mr Celestine Okanya, Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) representatives Mr Martin Chesire and Mrs Susan Munyiri-Ochieng, and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) representative Mr Martin Kaiser.

Meeting Highlights

The Evaluator Working Group (EWG) met to review the peer evaluators’ register, confirm evaluator scopes, monitor the performance of evaluators and trainee evaluators, review the needs of peer evaluators and AFRAC, and consider candidate peer evaluator applications.

The Marketing and Communication Committee (MCC) discussed implementation of the 2023 MCC workplan, MCC performance indicators, social media statistics, feedback on ILAC MCC and IAF CMC meetings participation, and development of the 2024 MCC Workplan.

Attendees at the MRA Committee meeting reviewed progress on 2023 workplan items and previous meeting actions and resolutions. They also planned for upcoming peer evaluations, considered recommendations of the EWG, discussed progress on document reviews, reviewed accreditation body (AB) transition reports, recommended improvements to the management of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) processes, reviewed final peer evaluation reports and discussed the 2024 MRA Committee Workplan.

The main objective of the Technical Committee (TC) meeting was to review progress on 2023 workplan items, previous meeting actions and resolutions, technical publication reviews, and progress of the 2023 Sub-Committee workplans. Attendees also worked on developing the 2024 TC workplan.

The AFRAC MRA Council met to consider applications to the AFRAC MRA including scope extensions to the MRA, make decisions regarding the status of membership to the AFRAC MRA, oversee the implementation of AFRAC, IAF and ILAC resolutions relevant to AFRAC MRA signatories, and review changes forwarded by signatories that affect the AFRAC MRA.

The Executive Committee (EXCO) met to follow-up on implementation of the 5-year Strategic Plan, review progress on the EXCO’s 2023 workplans and previous meeting resolutions, develop the 2024 EXCO Workplan, review AFRAC’s finances, and consider the MRA Council and Committee Chair’s recommendations.

General Assembly attendees heard progress on the work of AFRAC during 2023, approved the EXCO 2024 workplans, approved AFRAC financial proposals and relevant AFRAC documents, elected office bearers, and approved 34 General Assembly Resolutions. The GA expressed their appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Kenya and KENAS for providing excellent facilities and arrangements conducive to the successful AFRAC meetings and 14th General Assembly.

Read more about the meetings here.