In a landmark achievement, Africell commemorates more than 11 years of holding the ISO 9001 certification, a feat attained on August 14, 2012, setting a historic precedent as Sierra Leone’s pioneering telecommunications company to earn this prestigious accreditation.
From its inception in Sierra Leone, Africell prioritized fostering trust with its clientele, recognizing it as pivotal to securing and upholding its position as a telecommunications leader in the nation’s market. The cornerstone of this trust lay in consistently delivering top-tier services, benchmarked against global professional standards as affirmed by independent certification entities rather than subjective criteria.
Embarking on the journey towards ISO 9001 certification spanned over 18 months, encompassing the establishment, training, and certification of a dedicated quality management team. This process entailed meticulous documentation of all company procedures, alongside the implementation of requisite systems and structures stipulated by the standard, ensuring Africell’s capability to:
a) Consistently furnish products and services aligning with customer expectations and pertinent statutory and regulatory mandates.
b) Cultivate avenues for augmenting customer satisfaction.
c) Mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities inherent in its operational environment and objectives.
d) Validate adherence to specified quality management system requisites.
To uphold the integrity of the Quality Management System and sustain certification, Africell diligently underwent three triennial recertification audits and eight annual surveillance audits over the past eleven years.
Joe Abass Bangura, Africell’s Head of Quality Management Systems, boasts a prestigious Quality Management Systems Lead Auditors Certificate from the CSA Group in Ontario, Canada, a distinction held by a select few in Sierra Leone. Complementing Bangura, Africell’s Quality Management Team comprises six adept and certified QMS Auditors.
Rooted in the seven principles of quality management, Africell’s system prioritizes: engaging personnel, customer-centricity, leadership, process optimization, continual enhancement, evidence-driven decision-making, and relationship nurturing.
Reflecting on Africell’s enduring ISO 9001 certification journey, Managing Director Mr. Shadi Gerjawi emphasized its significance, affirming that sustaining the Quality Management System’s certification for over a decade through a reputable Canadian certification body underscores Africell’s unwavering dedication to delivering superior services, meeting customer expectations, and complying with regulatory mandates, thus reinforcing its market leadership position. Gerjawi reassured Africell subscribers of the company’s steadfast commitment to maintaining these standards.
Africell’s distinction as Sierra Leone’s inaugural telecommunications entity to obtain ISO 9001 certification remains undisputed, with comprehensive details accessible through certification bodies’ websites and archived news articles from 2012.
ISO, denoting the International Organization for Standardization, serves as an impartial global entity that formulates and disseminates standards to ensure quality, safety, and efficacy across diverse industries. ISO 9001, the international benchmark for Quality Management, is embraced by over a million enterprises worldwide, fostering a culture of continual improvement anchored in customer exigencies.
