Nigerian exports to gain global acceptance as Katchey gets ISO 17025 accreditation

By Chinwendu Obienyi

Nigerian exporters may no longer suffer the huge loss of invested funds and reputation that result from rejected exported products with Katchey Laboratories Limited recent joining of the league of the elite analytical laboratories across the world having  attained the ISO 17025 Accreditation. This was achieved after a detailed audit by ANAB, an American accreditation body.

There are currently very few labs across the continent with ANAB accreditation and Katchey Laboratories Limited is probably the only non-government analytical laboratory with such accreditation presently in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

ISO 17025 accreditation is a mark of quality attested by an accrediting body, in this case a top American accrediting body ANAB. It means that results coming out of Katchey Laboratories have the same quality as the best Laboratories in the US and across the world. Firstly, there will be significant foreign exchange savings because samples which hitherto are being sent to laboratories outside the country and which are paid for in foreign currencies will now be taken to Katchey Laboratories for testing.

Consequently, Nigerian exporters will be able to receive globally acceptable certificates of analysis for their international trade. They will no longer suffer the great losses of invested funds and reputation that result from rejected exported products.

Speaking on the development, the Chief Executive Officer, Katchey Laboratories Limited, Mrs. Kate Isa, noted that the accreditation and the newly built laboratory are coming at a time the company was streamlining its operations, adding that the complex was born out of the need to raise the bar in the analytical space in Africa and to provide reliable, quality results that will inspire confidence to encourage trade across the continent, especially with the advent of AfCFTA.

“Katchey Laboratories is built as a one-stop shop for all analytical needs, catering to a wide range of analytical service areas, including: Life Sciences; Pharmaceutical; Food and Beverage; Agribusiness; Oil and Gas; Environmental; Forensic; Mining and Extractive Industries; Educational; Research and Development, etc. Katchey Laboratories Limited is a subsidiary of Katchey Company Limited”, she said.