Tuesday 08 03 2022
University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has secured a contract with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to support the delivery of quality management training in Sierra Leone.
Quality management training focusses on the continuous improvement of processes and activities to provide a level of excellence, which in turn can help to increase the quality and economic value of products and services.
UNIDO is a specialist agency of the United Nations and promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability.
This recent contract win will see academics from UWS’s School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences work directly with the University of Sierra Leone, to review and assist with the delivery of their Quality Management courses.

Dr Michele Cano, Head of Division of Engineering at UWS said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with the University of Sierra Leone and very much look forward to starting work on this project in the coming weeks.
“UWS is well-placed to provide this support and delivers both undergraduate and postgraduate training in Quality Management as well as a Masters in Quality Management, which is accredited by the Chartered Quality Institute.”
UWS will provide a range of support, including auditor training; peer review of training material; course delivery review - including tutor performance; content and level of participant satisfaction; assessment and examination content review; sampling of examination papers for quality assurance; and joint issue of certificates of completion.
Dr. Shaukat H. Malik, Chief Technical Adviser at UNIDO added: “UNIDO is implementing the national component of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) in Sierra Leone. Funded by the European Union the programme focusses on strengthening the competitiveness of Sierra Leone and enhancing its integration into the regional and international trading systems.”
“As a key lever to improve competitiveness at all levels, we are promoting the culture of quality along the project’s value chains, as well as nationally. In this context, our cooperation with the University of the West of Scotland, and the University of Sierra Leone (USL) is instrumental as we are developing a range of academic courses to introduce topics of quality in Sierra Leone.”
UWS was the first university in the UK to be awarded accreditation by the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) for its Masters in Quality Management, and is still one of only two institutions in the UK with this accreditation.
UNIDO is implementing the national component of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) in Sierra Leone. Funded by the European Union the programme focusses on strengthening the competitiveness of Sierra Leone and enhancing its integration into the regional and international trading systems. As a key lever to improve competitiveness at all levels, we are promoting the culture of quality along the project’s value chains, as well as nationally. In this context, our cooperation with the University of the West of Scotland, and the University of Sierra Leone (USL) is instrumental as we are developing a range of academic courses to introduce topics of quality in Sierra Leone.Dr. Shaukat H. Malik, Chief Technical Adviser at UNIDO
The University occupies an integral position within Scotland's proud tradition of excellence in education and is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - demonstrating the University’s commitment to sustainability and to building on existing research and education strengths, to improve the lives of global communities.