Cairo 29 Sept 2017: ENAO achieved signatory status in the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Mutual
Recognition Arrangement (MRA) to the following scopes in May 2017
- Testing to ISO/IEC 17025
- Medical Testing to ISO 15189
Ethiopia becomes the fifth country to sign up to the AFRAC MRA. The recognition at a continental level is a laudable achievement for ENAO. AFRAC is a cooperation of accreditation bodies from African countries; sub-regional accreditation co-operations and stakeholders whose objective is to facilitate trade and contribute to the protection of health, safety, and the environment, in Africa and thereby improving Africa’s competitiveness. Arrangement Members include accreditation bodies that have signed the AFRAC MRA.
AFRAC Arrangement Members are all independent accreditation bodies appointed or recognized by the government of the Member State or sub-regional block and legally established and operating in the African region. These accreditation bodies declare in their membership application that they are operating in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, the relevant international documents of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the requirements of AFRAC.
Furthermore, Arrangement Members are accreditation bodies who have been peer-evaluated under applicable AFRAC procedures and found to comply by the MRA Council with the requirement for admission as a signatory to the AFRAC MRA. The awarding of the AFRAC MRA is significant especially as AFRAC waits for international recognition from ILAC and IAF. ENAO is established as an autonomous Federal Government office having its own legal personality.
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