5 Mar 2025

SMU’s ISO certification team comprising Dr. Melaku Girma, Commissioner Asrat Bulbula, Ato Shegaw G/Medhin and Dr. Melku Tezera conducted a half-day meeting with Institute of Ethiopian Standards (IES) on February 27, 2025. The team first met Dr. Meseret Bekele, Director General of IES, and briefed her the activities SMU has done so far for the internal preparation of ISO 21001:2018 certification process. Dr. Meseret welcomed the team and appreciated SMU’s initiative for the certification. Then, the Director General said that many institutions have visited her office for the same purpose, which shows the culture of maintaining quality has been growing recently in Ethiopia. She further reflected her office is very pleased to give a technical support to SMU. She remarked that for a company, getting ISO certification is decisive to sustain in a competitive business world. She finally told the team that in order to complete the ISO certification process successfully and in the expected time frame, the top management and the staff in the different departments should show high level of commitment and passion for the project.

To have further discussion on the details of the technical support procedure, Dr. Meseret sent the team to experts of the Standard Implementation Directorate of IES. Ato Alemayehu Setegn, a senior expert in the Office for Training and Technical Support, explained what SMU is going to do in order to start the certification process. According to him, SMU should write an official letter that requests for a technical support from IES. Then, filling in an application form is the next step. An agreement document will then be prepared so that MoA shall be signed between the president or vice president of SMU and the Director General or the next person on behalf of IES. Thereafter, a team of experts will be assigned to the university and shall start the support. The expert promised if SMU is truly committed for the initiative, the process will go smoothly and the standardized implementation will be given to a conformity company for an external audit in about a year or so. The team of SMU then agreed to start the activities as soon as possible.