At the 2026 Quality Summit and Exhibition in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of QA Consult Africa, Johnson Opoku‑Boateng, cautioned that poor quality management exposes businesses to avoidable financial losses through defective products, production waste, equipment failures and costly repairs.
Opoku‑Boateng said the problem stretches beyond manufacturing, affecting services, construction, education and other sectors. He cited recurring production defects, faulty equipment, incorrect deliveries, poor customer service and infrastructure failures as examples of how weak quality practices hurt performance.
“Someone pays for repairs, loses productive time, suffers an injury or loses confidence in an institution. Sometimes, a family loses a loved one,” he said, stressing that quality is the oxygen of a society that seeks to develop and thrive.
He urged companies to move beyond treating quality management as a certification requirement and to embed it in everyday operations. “Quality professionals must also demonstrate the direct business value of their work by showing how effective systems can reduce waste, prevent losses and improve operational performance,” he added.
The summit, themed “Driving Performance Through Quality Systems,” gathered industry players and quality professionals to discuss how stronger systems can improve productivity, customer satisfaction and competitiveness. Opoku‑Boateng noted that certification alone was not enough; the real value lies in consistent application, leading to fewer product defects, reduced rework, reliable deliveries and better handling of complaints.
He announced that the next edition of the summit will introduce a pitch competition to support young entrepreneurs developing solutions in product testing, traceability and process improvement.
