FDA Received Largest ISO
Accreditation Scope in Africa

WACOMP – Ghana has supported the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Cosmetics Laboratory with equipment, glassware, and reagents to contribute to the competitiveness of the lab.

This forms part of UNIDO – WACOMP’s support in strengthening the technical competence of the conformity assessment bodies in Ghana. Besides the equipment, the project supported the FDA cosmetic laboratory through technical assistance and coaching to increase its ISO 17025:2017 testing scope.

The laboratory undertook a remote assessment by the National Accreditation Board (ANAB) of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and has been accredited effective 3rd June 2021.

This puts the laboratory of Ghana’s FDA in the lead with the largest ISO accreditation scope in Africa. Compared to previous ISO accreditation, the 2021 ISO 17025:2017 assessment of the laboratory has a wider scope covering additional nine (9) parameters of laboratory tests and analysis (cosmetics and household chemical substances), which
include assay by spectrophotometry, identification, assay by titration, pH and loss on drying tests.
As a result of the 2021 ISO accreditation, FDA has now improved its international recognition in the testing of regulated products.

This achievement places the FDA in an enviable position to compete favorably with laboratories in the Western World.
The accreditation will not only allow the FDA to test cosmetics but also to issue export certificates backed by section 131 of the Public health act, 2021 (Act 851), which will be internationally recognized, thereby increasing the reach of Ghanaian cosmetics within the AfCFTA.

Under the circumstances, locally manufactured products like foods, drugs, herbal and other household chemical substances that are certified by the FDA, would be considered as having met international standards.