The recent signing of a historic Memorandum of Understanding between the Ghana Standards Authority and the Design and Technology Institute (DTI) – Ghana’s first privately-accredited TVET institution – opens a key door to the advancement of precision quality in the country.
The two institutions agree to collaborate in developing standards and practice guidelines to improve Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, especially the work of master craftpersons and those operating in the country’s technical and vocational sectors.
This was long in coming. Attention to quality standards and keeping to product specifications have become a key demand of businesses and clients throughout the world.
Precision Quality (PrecisionQuality™) is a term coined by the Design & Technology Institute (DTI) of Ghana to highlight the importance of precision and quality in job creation. It has multiple dimensions, but has a key focus on precision in industry, services and processes to ensure that all goods, services and processes are of world-class quality.
PrecisionQuality™ acknowledges that the creation of wealth through the production of goods and services that are world-class starts from “attitudes, mindsets and work ethics” that are “deliberately imparted, consistently delivered and regularly measured for evaluation and improvement”.
The benefits of the MoU with the standards body are enormous, and will lead to the development of standards and guidelines for precision quality.
It will help craftpersons, individuals working in the informal sector and the youth to embed precision quality in their products and practices, leading to the production of high-quality finished products through standardisation, metrology and conformity through the exchange of knowledge and expertise.
The MoU forms part of DTI’s collaborative strategy of working with key stakeholders to reach their objective under the ‘Transforming youth TVET livelihood for sustainable jobs’ project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s ‘Young Africa Works strategy’, which seeks to enable three million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030.
The three-year project seeks to create 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for the youth, especially young women, through TVET. Under the project, DTI will work with the Ghana Standards Authority to develop standards that will guide the development and testing of prototype products which will serve the ever-growing industrial needs of Ghana and the sub-region.
“The collaboration with Ghana Standards Authority will help develop acceptable standards in the development and testing of prototype products for Ghana’s industries whiles maintaining international standards,” said the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of DTI, Ms. Constance Elizabeth Swaniker.
“We don’t only teach at DTI, we are also creating high-quality products that will serve the needs of industries and Ghanaians. At DTI, we have been championing the adoption of Precision Quality in TVET institutions and among master craftpersons across the country as well as industries. The MoU-signing affirms the regulator’s trust in what we are doing and how it will bridge the product development gap for consumers. We will continue to work with the authority in the area of policy development and advocacy, which will lead to a mindset shift among Ghanaians where quality is concerned.”
It is general knowledge that quality goods and services will help boost trade through increased market demands across the world, and bring in the necessary foreign exchange to increase the country’s reserves to keep the lid on the cedis’ volatility against major trading currencies.
The collaboration with the GSA will help develop acceptable standards in the development and testing of prototype products for Ghana’s industries while maintaining international standards.
Prof. Dodoo, Director-General of GSA, emphasised the need for a precision-quality mindset that settles for nothing but the highest quality of goods and services throughout the production process in the country, so as to make Ghana visible for quality and improve the country’s global competitiveness.
“As the government agency mandated to promote standardisation in the country, we are uniquely positioned to work together with DTI and other entrepreneurship training institutions to streamline their efforts and ensure that international standards and best practices are adhered to in a sustainable manner,” he said.
“Our ultimate aim is to facilitate the creation of dignified, well-paying and fulfilling job opportunities in the country. If the products from these companies are standardised and of high quality, they will be capable of competing effectively in the export market,” Prof. Alex Dodoo added.
