The Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Excellence, (CLSCE), has called for the use of the ISO standards to enable SME operators to sell their products on the international market.

CLSCE said the initiative would ensure that SMEs meet the required standards, make a positive contribution to the world, facilitate trade, spread knowledge, disseminate innovative advances in technology, and share good management and conformity assessment practices.

Mr Emmanuel Turkson, Managing Director of CLSCE said in a news briefing in collaboration with ACP of the European Union that the ISO standards would provide solutions and achieve benefits for almost all sectors of activity.

The sectors include agriculture, construction, mechanical, engineering, manufacturing, distribution, transport, medical devices among others to develop standards for a clear market.

Mr Turkson said as a result of this the CLSCE and the ACP of the European Union has embarked on a 10 months project to train some companies in the country to enable them sell their products on the international market.

He said it would enable Government to achieve the target of 5 million export initiatives in the country.

The project entitled “Strengthening the Competitiveness of Ghana –Based Exporters through effective Export Quality Management System (EQMS) is to overcome barriers to trade in the regional and international markets.

He said this is also aimed at focusing on promoting the adoption of international standards among exporting companies in the selected sectors of the economy to know the importance of adopting EQMS to improve their export performances.

“This standardisation and certification process will allow companies to meet customers’ expectations at the best.”

He said the project being initiated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Export Authority and Trackers would select 30 companies for the certification process, advanced training, which took place in July, quality managers training in November and the coaching exercise in December.

Mr Turkson said after this stage the number of companies would be reduced to 15 and they would be on the field on export quality management.

He said to ensure continues programme development, there is the need for effective sustainability and high commitment of companies.

Mr. Dario Salvatore Caccamisi, the Project Team Leader urged companies to ensure consistency in their production process to meet the ISO standards and markets to achieve enough quality.

Mr Wolfgang Wiegel, an international expert specialising in Market Access and Export Development, expressed the need for the upgrading and strengthening of the quality of infrastructure institutions, empower economic operators in priority export sectors and disseminate results, good practices and experience.