GSA moves to make certification more valuable to businesses

November 6, 2026

2 minutes read

Ms Okoree (seated middle) and Dr Kuranchie (seated first from right) with other stakeholders after the meeting.

THE Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is repositioning its systems certification services to help businesses improve operational efficiency and compete more effectively in local and international markets.

The move seeks to ensure that organisations integrate management systems into their daily operations rather than treat them merely as requirements for securing contracts and tenders.

The Director of Certification at the GSA, Ms Joyce Okoree, announced this at the Authority’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Stakeholders in Systems Certification in Accra yesterday, held on the theme, “Beyond Certification”.

She observed that although the Authority had certified and recertified organisations across the food, manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, health and services sectors, some businesses failed to sustain the systems after obtaining their certificates.

“A certification on the wall is not enough. Too many organisations get certified to win a tender, and then the system sleeps until the next audit. That is not why we exist,” she stated.

Ms Okoree said properly implemented management systems should help businesses reduce waste, prevent accidents, improve customer satisfaction and access export markets.

She identified practical auditing, measurable economic benefits and readiness for emerging global requirements as key priorities, noting that artificial intelligence, sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations were increasingly shaping business transactions and tender processes.

To improve service delivery, the GSA plans to introduce digital applications, transparent fees, defined processing timelines and electronic certificates with QR code verification.

It also intends to establish sector-specific audit teams and strengthen client support through training, internal audits and regular checks to ensure organisations sustain their systems.

The Head of the Systems Certification Department, Dr Charles Kuranchie, explained that the meeting was designed to help stakeholders maximise the value of their investment by incorporating standard requirements into their everyday business processes.

He cautioned organisations against maintaining separate systems for audits and routine operations, urging them to ensure that their documented procedures reflected what they actually practised.

Dr Kuranchie encouraged businesses yet to adopt management system standards to do so, citing the benefits of improved customer confidence and opportunities to secure international contracts.

He explained that, unlike product standards, which focused on the quality and conformity of specific products, management system standards assessed an organisation’s overall processes and how they worked together to achieve defined objectives.

He cited ISO 9001 for quality management, food safety management systems, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and occupational health and safety standards as examples of frameworks that supported specific organisational objectives.

BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG

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