TheCable

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says it has commenced the construction of Africa quality assurance centre (AQAC) in Ogun state.

The centre will commence operation in the second quarter of 2022.

Afreximbank announced this in a statement released in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the centre will be a state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to offer testing, certification, inspection, and training services covering agricultural products.

Afreximbank said the centre is the first in a series of quality assurance centres it intends to establish across Africa to support industrialisation by ensuring that African products meet international standards and able to participate in intra-African and global trade.

According to the bank, first class quality infrastructure is considered critical in facilitating trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

It said construction of the centre in Ogun commenced on February 25, 2021, adding that the AQAC will provide more than 400 jobs in the local area, including over 180 in the highly skilled areas of quality assurance, testing, inspection, and certification.

The bank also said that an on-site training academy will provide the public and private sector with training in standards and quality assurance, as well as the skills necessary for businesses to compete in regional and international markets.

Speaking on the development, Benedict Oramah, president of Afreximbank, said: “The AQAC in Ogun State will help deliver the highest quality African goods, strengthening their competitiveness and providing confidence to buyers.

“This is an important step, not only in underpinning the ‘Made-in-Africa’ brand, but as a driver for greater exports, increased manufacturing and more resilient economies across the continent.”

Imo state government had announced in October 2019 that Afreximbank is setting up an AQAC for the entire south-east and south-south region in Nigeria.

The state government had said the $50 million investment “under the quality assurance facility of the bank, will provide certification and inspection services for various products for exports from Imo state and other parts of the regions to the international market”.

Also in January 2020, Afreximbank said it received the certificate of occupancy for a five-hectare plot of land granted to it by the Imo state government for the development of an internationally accredited quality assurance centre in the state.