The International Association for Quality Assurance in Pre-Tertiary and Higher Education (QAHE) is pleased to announce that Africa Institute of Graduate Studies (AIGS), Jijiga, Ethiopia, has been certified to ISO/IEC 17024:2026. The certificate was issued by AQS Certifications Services following assessment of the Institute’s conformity-assessment arrangements for personnel certification. QAHE supported AIGS in pursuing this certification as part of its work with accredited and partner institutions that wish to add an international management-system or personnel-certification standard to their quality framework.
The Certificate of Registration, number 0909285, records that Africa Institute of Graduate Studies, JJU Street 16, Jijiga, Ethiopia, has been assessed and found to conform to ISO/IEC 17024:2026. The stated scope is teaching and learning, research and community development, and partnership and networks. The certificate is valid from 24 September 2026 until 23 September 2029, subject to satisfactory surveillance audits on or before 23 September 2027 and 23 September 2028. Certification expires on 23 September 2029 unless renewed. AQS Certifications Services states that the certification is accredited by the Euro American Joint Accreditation Center (EA-JAC) and that the document may be verified through www.aqscertifications.com and www.aqscertifications.org.uk.
ISO/IEC 17024 sets requirements for bodies that operate certification of persons. In an educational setting it is used to show that competence assessment, certification decisions and related processes are organised in a defined, impartial and reviewable way. For AIGS, the documented scope links that framework to teaching and learning, research and community development, and the management of partnerships and networks. The three-year cycle, with annual surveillance, is intended to keep the system under review rather than treat the certificate as a one-off award.
QAHE’s role in this announcement is that of supporting quality-assurance partner. QAHE did not issue the ISO/IEC 17024 certificate and does not replace AQS as the certification body. The Association assists institutions that wish to pursue ISO-related certification by directing them to the relevant pathway, clarifying how such certification sits alongside QAHE institutional accreditation, and, where appropriate, helping them present a coherent public record of both arrangements. ISO certification and QAHE accreditation remain separate decisions, each with its own criteria, fees, evidence and validity period.
AIGS should present the ISO/IEC 17024:2026 mark only within the certified scope, dates and conditions printed on certificate 0909285, and only while surveillance remains satisfactory. The certificate remains the property of AQS Certifications Services. QAHE accreditation, where held, continues to be a quality-assurance listing of the institution and does not confer authority to grant qualifications or substitute for a national licence or professional registration.
QAHE congratulates Africa Institute of Graduate Studies on obtaining ISO/IEC 17024:2026 certification and on completing the process with AQS Certifications Services. Institutions that wish to enquire about QAHE accreditation or about ISO certification support may write to the Association through www.qahe.org.
