The Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAKKS), a world-renowned accreditation body, has renewed the accreditation of the Fish Inspection Department (FID) of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to inspect and certify fish and fish products before they are exported.

DAKKS, Germany's national accreditation body, is legally responsible for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies such as laboratories, inspection and certification bodies.

The renewal means the FID is competent under the terms of ISO/IEC 17020:2012 as an inspection body Type A/B/C to carry out pre-shipment inspection of fish and fish products for export.

With this renewal, the Authority's Fish Inspection Department has a widened scope to cater for fried fish exports as well.

The certificate is valid until June 28, 2023.

The Head of Fish Inspection at the GSA, Mrs. Jessica Nkansah, commended staff of the Department for working hard to attain this feat and entreated them to ensure the safety and quality of fish products exported were not compromised.

She said the accreditation has improved the efficiency of the Department's inspection processes.

"The accreditation has made our work and processes more regimented and regulated, which ensures that fish and fish products meet the required specifications before they are exported," Mrs. Nkansah said.

She said, due to compliance with the requirements prescribed in the standard, Ghana has received fewer rejects of fish exports to the European Union.

"Since the GSA started implementing the ISO/IEC 17020: 2012, the rapid alerts indicating that the fish and fish products exported to the EU do not meet the requirements have reduced tremendously," she noted.

In 1998, the EU appointed the GSA as the competent body to inspect and make sure all fish and fish products met the required standards before they were exported onto the EU market.

The Fish Inspection Department of the GSA was first accredited to the ISO/IEC 17020:2012 in 2017.

GSA's accreditation renewal followed a satisfactory surveillance audit conducted in 2021.