The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera has unveiled the Quality Management System (QMS) Policy Statement for the EAC Secretariat. Unveiling the QMS policy statement to the staff 23 July 2014 at the EAC Headquarters Main Conference hall, the Secretary General said in pursuit of performance excellence and effectiveness in achieving its objectives, it was imperative that the EAC Secretariat deploys internationally recognized standards in its service delivery.
Amb. Sezibera reiterated that the Secretariat had embraced and is implementing Quality Management System concept based on the ISO 9001:2008 Standard following the successful conclusion of the pilot phase of the Quality Management System (QMS) in May 2012.
He said documentation of the core planning processes was in progress and that the System was currently being rolled out to the rest of the EAC Secretariat based on the ISO 9001:2008 Standard.
The roll-out phase commenced in June 2014, with immediate focus on documentation of processes in the Directorate of Finance and Directorate of Planning with the aim of achieving certification of the two Directorates by December 2014. It is planned that the entire EAC Secretariat will be ISO 9001:2008 certified by December 2015.
Amb. Sezibera noted that successful implementation of the System will enhance the Secretariat's efficiency, productivity, performance, accountability, and provide the basis for continuous improvement of its processes and service delivery, adding that; "the EAC Secretariat will enhance its reputation and improve its stakeholder relationships".
In addition, implementation of the System will enable each staff member understand his/her role and how their work contributes to the quality of service that the EAC Secretariat provides. "Therefore, our role as staff members is to individually and collectively support this process through participation in development, implementation and maintenance of the EAC Secretariat Quality Management System" concluded the Secretary General.
Dr. Enos Bukuku, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, whose docket will oversee implementation of QMS at the Secretariat and its roll over to other Organs and Institutions of the EAC, said "the rolling out of QMS to all functions of the Secretariat was very important exercise that will transform the Secretariat's way of delivering services to its customers, and more importantly inspire confidence among all our stakeholders".
The unveiling of the QMS Policy Statement was attended by among others officials from EAC-GIZ Arusha Programme office who are supporting the Secretariat with the introduction and implementation of the system.
The Secretary General Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera signs the Quality Management System (QMS) Policy Statement for the EAC Secretariat as Dr. Enos Bukuku, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure,second left, Principal Planning and Research Officer Mr David Sajjabi(first left) and Mr Maurice Danje,Planning Expert look on.
Dr. Richard Sezibera unveils Quality Management System (QMS) Policy Statement for the EAC Secretariat
