The purpose of MEQA is to help grow the quality movement in the whole of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Quality has had an exponential growth in various parts of the world over the last few years and in more recent times it has started to be adopted and taken seriously in the Middle East.

The MENA region is very important to the world from different perspectives, not only does it represent a key source of supply of oil, gas and petrochemical products but the whole region is generally speaking a trading hub and strategically it bridges the gap between East and West.

Various transformations are taking place in different countries in terms of economic development and innovative schemes cannot go unnoticed. The miracle of Dubai for example, is attracting attention from different parts of the world and the experience of the whole UAE is considered to be a benchmark that many countries have been inspired by and are emulating. Dubai has also led in the quality field, and has created a momentum of improvement and excellence and driven the passion with leadership involvement from the highest political level downwards.

Dubai has earned a clear recognition for being serious about quality and for being willing and prepared to pioneer, innovate and lead the way.

MEQA can be considered as the missing piece of the jigsaw. Most of the other parts of the world have been active in creating a host of associations and federations for exchanging knowledge and best practices in the field of quality management. For instance, the ASQ (American Society for Quality) has chapters in several countries, EOQ (European Organisation for Quality) was trying to put together a quality movement throughout Europe, the APQO (Asia Pacific Quality Organisation) is attempting to link various countries in that part of the world and the ANQ (Asian Network for Quality) is also a federation for exchanging knowledge, ideas and best practices in the field of quality management.

There isn't such a concept in the whole of the MENA region countries and whilst various activities have been positively evolving at a national level, they do however, remain small in impact and with limited sharing and exchange opportunities.

MEQA will, therefore, mobilise the various efforts and activities taking place within national boundaries to permeate them at a regional level through exchange and transfer of best practices on one hand. But it will also build synergies so that the quality movement in the MENA region can be catapulted forward by helping various countries that are yet to embark on a quality journey.

To quote Dr. Joseph Juran -

"This endeavour is important not only to the MENA region but also to the rest of the world. Quality is a common value and society is a common concern."

The International Association for Quality (IAQ) has in the process of re-visiting its constitutional bylaws, added one more geographical area where quality needs to grow and that is the MENA region.