African Industry Makes Standards, Conformity Assessment a Priority

July 20, 2006

The role of international standards and conformity assessment in contributing to industrial development in Africa was acknowledged at the 17th Conference of African Ministers of Industry (CAMI 17) in Cairo, Egypt.

The conference declaration and recommendations in the CAMI 17 Report recognize that African standardization and a conformity assessment infrastructure are key to improving the performance of the region's industry in order to access export markets and to develop African internal trade. The recommendation, in part, reads:

"We reiterate the commitment of our governments and call on our development partners to urgently strengthen African standardization and conformity assessment infrastructure and increase standards harmonization in Africa, both at the national, regional and continental levels, based on UNIDO's (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) recognized experience in Africa. This should be done in cooperation with regional and international technical agencies, such as African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Laboratory Accreditation Council (ILAC), International Accreditation Forum (IAF), Le Bureau international des poids et mesures (BIPM) and International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML)."

Organized by the government of Egypt and UNIDO, in cooperation with the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the meeting was attended by representatives from regional, sub-regional and inter-governmental organizations.

Discussions revolved around three themes:

Adding value sustainably to African products.
Improving industrial performance and competitiveness through ensuring conformity to international standards.
Viable strategies in support of productive capacity enhancement.

"Standards and conformity assessment, and their international dimension, are increasingly recognized as key components for the quality infrastructure, enabling access to world markets, as well as the transfer of technology and good business practices," said Alan Bryden, ISO secretary-general. "Emphasizing the urgent need to develop the capacities of the productive sector as the sustainable option for wealth creation, income generation, diversification of employment and poverty alleviation, the declaration and a set of recommendations adopted by the ministers will become key enablers to the industrialization of Africa and its impact on internal and external African trade."

Source: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).