Kindiki calls for common standards to boost African trade

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday opened the 32nd African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) General Assembly in Mombasa, calling for greater cooperation among African countries to harmonise standards and facilitate trade across the continent.

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The assembly is mandated to direct high-level policies that harmonise continental standards and promote intra-African trade.

The Deputy President said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents an opportunity to connect a market of about 1.3 billion people and an economy with a combined output of $3.4 trillion.

However, he said the potential of the continental market risks being undermined by regulatory barriers, including differences in standards and certification requirements across countries.

Kindiki said African countries needed to work towards a system where products that meet agreed standards can move across borders without undergoing repeated testing and certification.

“A market of 1.3 billion people that is fragmented into fifty-four regulatory silos is not one market. It is fifty-four small ones, wearing the costume of a large one,” Kindiki said.

He spoke as Kenya hosted the 32nd ARSO General Assembly, bringing together stakeholders involved in standards development and regulation across the continent.

Kindiki said harmonising standards would help reduce unnecessary costs and delays for businesses seeking to access markets in other African countries.

He cited examples of products that could face repeated inspections and testing after crossing borders, despite already meeting required standards in their countries of origin.

“A cement bag tested in Nairobi and retested in Lagos, a pharmaceutical product certified in Cairo and recertified in Accra, and a solar panel inspected in Kigali and re-inspected in Dakar, is nothing but wasteful duplication,” he said.

According to the Deputy President, repeated testing places an additional burden on businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises that may not have the resources to absorb additional certification costs and delays.

“Every duplicate test is a tax on African enterprise, paid not to a treasury, but to inefficiency borne by the same small and medium enterprises this Assembly seeks to serve,” he said.

Kindiki welcomed progress made under ARSO's stewardship towards strengthening cooperation on standards, including the ARSO-ISO Enhanced Cooperation Agreement and the Kigali Agreement.

He said such initiatives could help create greater confidence in African certification systems and support the free movement of compliant goods across the continent.

The Deputy President also backed the theme of the General Assembly, “One Standard — One Test — One Certificate — Accepted Everywhere,” saying it should move beyond being a slogan and become part of Africa's trade reality.

He said a system in which a product is tested and certified once, and the certification is recognised across participating African markets would help reduce trade barriers.

“When a Namibian manufacturer tests a product once, and that certificate opens doors in Kinshasa, in Lusaka, in Abidjan, and in Maseru without a second inspection, a second fee, or a second delay, that is not a technical achievement. That is African economic sovereignty,” Kindiki said.

The Deputy President said harmonised standards would be important in turning AfCFTA into a functioning single market by ensuring that technical requirements do not become unnecessary barriers to businesses.

He urged African standards bodies and governments to sustain efforts towards mutual recognition and cooperation, saying common standards would support increased trade and economic integration.

The opening of the General Assembly comes as African countries continue efforts to deepen intra-African trade through AfCFTA.

Kindiki said Africa's ability to realise the full potential of its continental market would depend partly on its capacity to remove avoidable regulatory obstacles and build trust in standards and certification systems across borders.