“Upgrading” Ghana’s metrology infrastructure

Companies in Ghana that wish to participate in international trade or that aim to achieve international certification must often send their measuring instruments abroad for calibration, which is both expensive and time-consuming. An international cooperation project launched in 2021 aims to make traceability to national standards possible in Ghana to a larger extent than has been achieved until now and to expand the range of calibration services being offered. The kick-off workshop was attended by the Ghanaian minister of trade and industry and the German ambassador to Ghana; the President of PTB, Prof. Dr. Joachim Ullrich, attended virtually. PTB supports the strategic planning of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) within the scope of this project: By training staff, purchasing measuring instruments and developing a business plan, the competences of the measures and verification system in Ghana are to be expanded further. At this time, the selection of the measurands which are to be developed further is at the focus.

The project ensures the traceability of measurements to the International System of Units and thus contributes to increasing the quality of products, strengthening trade and consumer protection, and improving the climate for investments. PTB and Ghana already share a 16-year history of successful cooperation. During this time, Ghana has become a beacon of quality infrastructure in West Africa. Other countries in the region benefit from the services that were developed here.