CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2024/25 SADC QUALITY AWARDS

The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2024-25 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 who 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 who 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 and Small and Medium Enterprises. 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 and Small and Medium Enterprises. 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 and Small and Medium Enterprises. 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 and Small and Medium Enterprises. 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 (SQAM) efforts.

Eligibility

The SADC Quality Awards are open to all companies and individuals from the SADC Member States that have competed in their respective countries in 2024 and are recognised as the winners at national level in the categories they are applying for at regional level.

Submission of entries

All entries must be submitted to the Secretariat through the National Focal Points by the 28 January 2025. The list of National Quality Award Focal Points is attached as Annex. Any submission done after the deadline will not be considered. Only the winners of the national Quality Award competition will be considered at regional level.

All entries shall be in soft copy and submitted in a folder that is marked with the name of Member State, followed by Category, the sub-category and the name of the entity e.g.

Ex: COUNTRY_ POY-LE_PHARMABOLO

All entries must be submitted electronically through the following links:

Enquiries

• Mr. Cesarino Benjamim, Senior 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 or Innocent Mbvundula, Communication and Relations Officer (External) at the SADC Secretariat; email blopi@sadc.int or imbvundula@sadc.int and copy prinfo@sadc.int telephone +267 395 1863.