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Comoros Launches National Quality Policy

6 April 2022
ITC News

The formal launch of the National Quality Policy in the Union of the Comoros is a significant milestone in the government's overall strategy for economic and social development in the wake of the global pandemic health crisis.

The National Quality Policy aims to strengthen the country's quality infrastructure and establish a culture of higher standards both in public administration and in the private sector to ensure more inclusive and sustainable economic development in the Comoros.

A consistent and transparent quality framework can reduce transaction costs for small and medium-sized businesses, increase productivity and lead to the fairer distribution of resources.

The National Quality Policy and its associated action plan have been developed, validated and adopted by the Comorian Government’s Council of Ministers following a lengthy process of consultation with all stakeholders. The policy will support the government in the implementation of the Plan Comoros Emergent (PCE) 2030 vision on inclusive sustainable development. 

The introduction of a quality standards framework has been a key aspect of the ongoing work of the UK Trade Partnerships Programme (UKTP), an aid-for-trade initiative in selected African, Caribbean and Pacific countries funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The UKTP programme supports several priority sectors in the Comoros including the promotion of cash crops vanilla and cloves, as sectors with high commercial potential and therefore a strategic role in rebuilding the national economy. These sectors were chosen as having the highest potential as a source of foreign exchange and therefore better incomes for many rural families. 

The implementation of this quality policy will allow the Union of the Comoros to have an operational and regionally recognised Quality Infrastructure System (QIS) at the same time as having appropriate technical regulations to protect the health, population safety and preservation of the environment and ecosystems.

One of the expected results of this policy is the improvement of the country's capacity to participate in regional and international trade activities through the promotion of high-quality products and the competitiveness of Comorian enterprises.

The National Quality Policy is in line with the provisions of the World Trade Organization’s agreements on technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures to which the Union of the Comoros has subscribed.

The UKTP programme has also made it possible to improve the solvency of cooperative societies and access to finance for export businesses in the priority sectors. Six cooperatives have benefited from training and coaching in financial education, some of which have been able to obtain prizes in the form of grants from the World Bank and loans from local financial institutions.

To enable Comorian financial institutions to access appropriate financing for environmental and climate-smart projects, training on sustainable finance was organized jointly with UNDP Comoros from 2 to 5 November 2021. The purpose of this training was to prepare financial institutions to contribute to the Nationally Determined Contributions as part of the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The UKTP will continue to support the implementation of the national quality policy and access to finance in the Comoros.