Miss Perfect Kwadzodeh, a student at the Evangelical Presbyterian University College (EPUC) in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, has been named the second-best winner of the 2023/2024 African Organization for Standardisation (ARSO) Essay Competition at the national level.

The competition, organized by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), was open to all universities in Ghana as well as universities from other member states across Africa.

Representing EPUC, Miss Kwadzodeh excelled among participants from over 100 universities in the country.

The theme for the 2023/2024 ARSO Essay Competition was “Empowering Consumers through Standardisation to Achieve Their Rights to Safe Quality Goods & Services.”

In a letter from the GSA signed by its Director-General, Prof. Alex Dodoo, Miss Kwadzodeh was informed of her achievement: “We are pleased to inform you that your essay was adjudged the second-best among entries for the competition at the national level.”

Prof. Dodoo added, “You have therefore won the 2nd prize of the competition and the date to present the award to you will be communicated in due course. Accept our congratulations on your outstanding performance.”

Miss Kwadzodeh, who is currently the Student Representative Council (SRC) Financial Secretary, will receive a cash prize, certificates, and a congratulatory letter, among other rewards.

Additionally, the names and essays of the national winners will be submitted to the ARSO Central Secretariat for regional and continental competitions.

Expressing her gratitude to the media, Miss Kwadzodeh said she was thankful to the Almighty God for granting her the wisdom to write. She noted that this was her first time participating in a continental competition featuring over 100 universities in the country.

"I was very excited when I received the award-winning letter informing me that my essay was adjudged the second-best among all entries at the national level.

In fact, this is a big win for my dear EPUC," she remarked.

Miss Kwadzodeh encouraged her fellow students to recognize the significant opportunities presented by competitions such as the ARSO Essay Competition and to participate in them to elevate the university’s reputation both in Ghana and beyond.

The 11th ARSO Essay Competition began at the start of the year, with entries accepted until the end of March 2024.

Eligible participants were university and college students under the age of 35, who were required to submit essays of no more than 1,200 words on the year's theme.

The African Organization for Standardisation (ARSO) was founded in the spirit of African socio-political and economic Pan-Africanism in the 1970s, culminating in a conference in Accra, Ghana.

The creation of a continental standardization body was driven by the post-independence optimism and the collective self-reliance of the period, under the auspices of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Standardization was seen as essential for African economic integration and linking Africa’s economy with the rest of the world.

ARSO’s mission is to harmonize national and sub-regional standards into African Standards, initiate and coordinate the development of these standards, encourage the adoption of international standards by member bodies, and promote the exchange of expertise and information.

It also facilitates cooperation in the training of personnel in standardization activities.