By Odunewu Segun
Benin Electricity Distribution Plc. (BEDC) has again bagged two awards; African Quality Achievement Award as the Most Innovative Power Distribution Company in Africa in 2016 and the 9ja Safe Merit award respectively, in recognition of its excellent commitment to quality improvement in electricity supply across the network and for actively promoting health, safety and environment as cornerstone of business performance.
THE African Quality Achievement Award (AQAA) according to a statement from the DISCO is an annual event initiated at celebrating leadership innovation and creativity in quality management in Africa. The quality award for instance, is aimed at identifying, recognizing and rewarding companies, personalities and products that apply quality culture and quality management best practices to the analysis, planning and implementation and control of policies designed to achieve corporate objectives in both profit and non-profit making organizations in Africa.
It was organized and supported by African Quality Institute (AQI), Chartered institute of Quality Management of Nigeria (CIQM) and African Quality Organization (AQO). The award advisory Board members include Prof. Pat Utomi of the Lagos Business School (LBS), and Dr John Ndanusa Akanya, former Director General, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), among other eminent technocrats in corporate Africa.
The 9jaSafe Award is the most prestigious and respected award for safety professionals / practitioners across Nigeria. Its objective is to recognize outstanding performances and laudable initiatives of companies and individuals, to foster and promote Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) best practices in the workplace and in the nation.
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According to the organizers of the African Quality award, the criteria used in selecting nominees include ; compliance, reliability, quality awareness drive, ethical standard and policies, service delivery, resilience, value and operational excellence
The two awards which were bestowed on BEDC in Lagos over the weekend respectively, reflected series of efforts put in place by BEDC to boost access to electricity and improved services to customers in its franchise, in addition to pushing safety both at the workplace and on the network including occupational health, safety and environment initiatives.
BEDC has also put in place an Enforcement and Monitoring Unit to ensure that connection to the network are in line with safety standards; that only paying customers are on the network and that bypass or illegal connections to its network is not allowed to operate.
BEDC had earlier in the year became the first electricity distribution company to emerge a winner in the maiden edition of the Electronic Payments Incentives Scheme (EPIS) Efficiency Award as it came tops as the best Cashless Driver-Corporate category. The award was initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement Scheme (NIBSS) Plc.