Worried by the low level of regional cooperation and integration among trade blocs in the continent, the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) has initiated new strategies to harmonise standards among African countries to drive value-addition and industrialization.
According to the Standards body, the need to boost non-oil exports in the international market, especially through agricultural and agro-allied commodities has necessitated adoption of standards to improve access to the international markets.
To achieve its goals, ARSO seeks to forge collaboration among national standard bodies, regional blocs, Pan African Quality Infrastructure bodies, the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to improve access of African goods to the global market.
Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Council member of ARSO, Dr. Paul Angya said the standardisation of agricultural produce would boost competitiveness of agricultural and agro-allied commodities.
Speaking at the recently concluded ARSO General Assembly, 54th Council Meeting and Made in Nigeria Expo in Arusha, Tanzania, Angya noted that the organisation intends to help African countries revolutionise agriculture and adopt new technologies.
He added that the development would help Africa to move away from reliance on food imports, to securing food supplies through rapid, sustainable increase in food production.
Angya reiterated that Africa’s year of quality infrastructure would be used to chart new priorities and strategies for agriculture.
He said that with the new standardization, the input supply and product processing sectors would become more consolidated, more concentrated and more integrated.
He noted that contributions of the organization in harmonizing standards for fertilizers and agrochemicals for agricultural sectorwouldboost international trade,as African countries will align with international standards to improve their market access and boost regional trade.
He noted that standards have become a tool in the fight for competitiveness and in reducing barriers in regional trade, while emphasizing the need for African standards to be a benchmark against international standards.
According to him, Africa’s regional cooperation and deeper integration of services and standards will increase trade among African countries, adding that ARSO is already giving it a priority.
He noted that plans were on to ensure that membership of the body was increased to foster involvement of many regions in the intra-African trade.
“There is the need to strengthen Africa’s economic independence through standards and empower the continent to play its rightful role in the global economy.
“I wish to emphasize that global competition has become intensified in terms of quality, price, supply chain management and dependability of delivery systems. Changing consumer preferences are changing producers’ responses to market signals. This has further reinforced the need to harmonise standards if we have to play in the global market,” he added.
He stressed that ARSO would be forging collaboration among national standard bodies, regional blocs, Pan African Quality Infrastructure bodies, the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to facilitate the chances of Africa to become a major player within the global market.
He explained that countries would only remain competitive when their companies and businesses are competitive.The Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment of the United Republic of Tanzania, Charles Mwijage tasked ARSO to fast track the harmonization process, saying it was long due, therefore urging the body to develop concrete proposals in harmonising standards.“To be a part of a regional or global supply chain, the standards of a country remain key.
It is important at this stage to take the works of ARSO and technical bodies to the political level if harmonisation goals would be realised.“International standards should also be part of African standards because there is no need to reinvent the wheel except developing the ones that are peculiar to the regions to increase the economies of scale,” he added.
ASRO Secretary-General, Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana noted that capacity building, women empowerment, value addition to agriculture produce and link to the AU continental free trade areas were needed for Africa to have its global market share.
Nsengimana urged members to effectively explore other international standardisation partners to fast tract industrialisation.
