The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2024 SADC Quality Awards competition for companies and individuals in the SADC region.
The SADC Quality Awards were approved in 2009 by the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade with the aim of encouraging entities in the region, both public and private, to apply and comply with international standards in their day-to-day operations.
The SADC Quality Awards recognize and appreciate organizations and individuals that are contributing to quality advancement in all sectors of SADC, by having measurement and quality systems, procedures and processes that are in line with local, regional and international practices and those that use quality advancement to support national and regional economic development and growth.
The SADC Quality Awards are in the following five (5) categories.
Category 1: Company of the Year
This category has two awards. One for Large Enterprises (with 100 or more employees) and Small and Medium Enterprises (with less than 100 employees). This category awards company or organization that has proactively and effectively implemented quality principles.
Category 2: Product of the Year
This category has two awards. One for Large Enterprises (with 100 or more employees) and Small and Medium Enterprises (with less than 100 employees). In this category, awards are given to a product that best reflects a commitment to quality.
Category 3: Service of the Year
This category has two awards. One for Large Enterprises (with 100 or more employees) and Small and Medium Enterprises (with less than 100 employees). The awards are given to a locally delivered service that best reflects a commitment to local production and quality.
Category 4: Exporter of the Year
This category has two awards. One for Large Enterprises (with 100 or more employees) and Small and Medium Enterprises (with less than 100 employees). The awards in this category are given to a company or organization that has made significant progress in commencing or expanding exports to new or wider markets by introducing quality in their company.
Category 5: Individual of the Year
This award is given to an individual from the SADC Region who has made significant contribution to the SADC Standards, Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Metrology efforts.
Eligibility
The SADC Quality Awards are open to all companies and individuals from the SADC region who have competed in their respective countries in 2023 and are recognised as the winners at national level.
Submission of entries
All entries must be submitted by the National Focal Points located in the National Standards Bodies by the 7th of February 2024. Names and contacts of SADC Quality Awards Focal Points in the Member States can be found on this link: https://www.sadc.int/document/names-and-contacts-sadc-quality-awards-focal-points
Only the winners at the national level will be considered at regional level through the regional adjudicating committee for the SADC Quality Awards which comprises experts in SQAM.
The submission of the duly completed Entry Forms and supporting documents shall be in individual folders clearly identified with the Name of the Member State, name of the Company/Product/Service and Category.
Enquiries
Mr. Cesarino Benjamim, Programme Officer, Standards, Quality, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM) in the Directorate of Industrial Development and Trade at the SADC Secretariat email cbenjamim@sadc.int
Barbara Lopi, Head of Communication and Public Relations Unit at the SADC Secretariat; email blopi@sadc.int and copy prinfo@sadc.int telephone +267 395 1863.
