A final-year Accounting and Finance student of the Evangelical Presbyterian University College (EPUC) in Ho, Miss Perfect Kwadzodeh, has secured second place in the 2023/2024 African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) Essay Competition at the national level.

The essay competition, which was organised by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) was open to universities across Ghana and other African member states.

Competing against students from over 100 universities, Miss Kwadzodeh excelled with her essay on the theme, “Empowering Consumers through Standardisation to Achieve Their Rights to Safe Quality Goods & Services.”

The GSA's Director-General, Prof. Alex Dodoo, informed Miss Kwadzodeh of her achievement in a letter, praising her outstanding performance and confirming her second-place win. She will receive a cash prize, certificates, and other rewards.

Her essay, along with those of other national winners, will be submitted to the ARSO Central Secretariat for further regional and continental competitions.

Miss Kwadzodeh, also the Student Representative Council (SRC) Financial Secretary of her institution, expressed her gratitude to God for the wisdom to write and her excitement over the award. She urged her peers to participate in similar competitions to enhance the university’s reputation.

"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 said.

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 35, required to submit essays of not more than 1,200 words on the year's theme.

Founded in the 1970s with a spirit of Pan-Africanism, ARSO aims to harmonise national and sub-regional standards into African Standards and promote economic integration and international trade.

Its mission includes developing and adopting standards, exchanging expertise, and training personnel in standardisation activities.