Lagos is gearing up to host a major continental event celebrating excellence in quality, innovation, and standards—Africa’s foremost Quality Awards and Exhibition—bringing together organisations across industries to showcase achievements and exchange best practices.
Announced by the Lagos State Quality Management Agency (LAQMA), the event is scheduled to take place in the city’s premier conference district later this year. It will feature a high-profile awards ceremony and an expansive exhibition designed to highlight businesses, government agencies, and individual champions driving quality-driven transformation in Africa.
The awards segment will honour organisations that have demonstrated exceptional performance in areas like operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, product and service standards, innovation, and sustainable practices. Nominations are open to companies across key sectors—manufacturing, agriculture, finance, healthcare, education, and services—subject to evaluation by a panel of quality assurance experts from across the continent.
Complementing the ceremony, the exhibition will host branded pavilions and company showcases displaying cutting-edge technologies, quality-control methodologies, management systems, and locally developed solutions. Sponsors and exhibitors will include multinational firms, SMEs, regulatory bodies, academic institutions, and certification agencies that share a common goal of promoting quality excellence.
During the unveiling of the event programme, LAQMA’s Director-General stated that hosting the awards and exhibition reflects Lagos’s ambition to deepen its status as a hub for industrial competitiveness and skills advancement. He noted that the event is expected to attract thousands of attendees, including entrepreneurs, quality professionals, policymakers, regulators, and international partners committed to African industrialisation.
The event will offer a series of expert-led workshops, panel discussions, and masterclasses. Themes will explore topics such as quality management systems, process audits, lean manufacturing, ISO certifications, quality-driven export readiness, and corporate governance—tailored for practitioners seeking to elevate standards and operational efficiency. Country-specific case studies and success stories will be shared to inspire adoption of best practices.
One of the highlights is the panel session on “Quality as a Catalyst for Economic Growth,” where government and business leaders will debate how rigorous quality frameworks can drive industrial competitiveness, export potential, inward investment, and consumer trust across African markets.
In addition, the event will host sector- and product-specific standards clinics, offering companies guidance on navigating regulatory regimes, attaining compliance, avoiding product recalls, and positioning for export market entry. These clinics will be supported by national standards bodies, certification agencies, and compliance experts working together to share tools and templates.
Organisers stressed the significance of Nigeria hosting the event, citing the country’s role as the continent’s industrial anchor and market leader. The exhibition provides visibility for local innovators—such as manufacturers of agro-based products, digital tools or packaged goods—to gain exposure, attract partnerships, and learn from regional peers.
Moreover, the awards segment is expected to reward private-sector players, public institutions, and non-profits implementing quality-focused innovation or social impact programs—such as improved educational testing standards or healthcare service quality interventions.
Anticipated attendees include representatives from the African Organisation for Standardisation, national standards councils from multiple countries, certification firms, quality audit bodies, trade associations, and exporters’ forums. The event will also feature cross-border networking opportunities, investor meet-and-greet sessions, and forums for trade and industrial collaboration.
In preparation for the event, LAQMA is coordinating with key partners—including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Chartered Quality Institute, and international consultants—to ensure robust content, fair adjudication, and adherence to international evaluative frameworks. Accredited observers will monitor the awards process to uphold integrity and transparency.
The economic impact for Lagos is expected to be substantial. The event is projected to generate thousands of hotel nights, boost revenue for local businesses, foster foreign interest in Lagos as a destination for trade and quality-driven investment, and elevate Nigeria’s reputation in quality systems implementation.
Commenting on its strategic goals, LAQMA noted that the initiative aligns with Lagos State’s broader development agenda, which emphasises value-chain upgrades, skills development, industrial growth, and SME empowerment. Quality certification and standards compliance are increasingly recognised as enablers of export growth, consumer confidence, and production efficiency.
Experts believe that regular hosting of such an event can become a continental hallmark. It can serve as a rallying point for quality-conscious companies, knowledge-sharing hubs, and accreditation-driven ecosystems—ultimately raising the bar for African competitiveness on the global stage.
In summary, Lagos’s hosting of Africa’s Quality Awards and Exhibition underscores the city’s drive to position itself at the center of excellence in standards, compliance, and industrial evolution. The initiative promises to catalyse innovation, recognise excellence, support local economic development, and unite stakeholders in forging a future defined by quality and performance across the continent.
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