ISO pledges support for Prof Dodoo’s ARSO presidency

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has pledged to commit technical and financial resources to the development of standards in Africa. 

The worlds most trusted standards organisation will also provide experts to help build a robust standards regime and ensure that African standards were aligned with that of the ISO. 

With Ghana’s Professor Alex Dodoo leading the standards community as President of the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), the ISO is confident that the time was ripe for standards to drive trade and help position African businesses on the apex of global trade. 

“This is a unique period for the standards community and a great time for businesses as well because of the leadership Prof. Dodoo is likely to bring to bear. We believe his deep understanding of standards and trade facilitation will help to scale up businesses across Africa,” ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica said. 

Mr Mujica was speaking at a bilateral meeting with the office of the ARSO president on the sidelines of the 28th ARSO General Assembly in Yaoundé last week. 

He said leadership was key to exploring the potentials of African businesses and the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).    


Prof Dodoo, who doubles as the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), urged the ISO to support the continent in developing international standards that will help improve trade in made-in-Africa goods on the global market.

With Accra hosting the AfCFTA Secretariat and the ARSO presidency conferred on a Ghanaian, the business community has a historic opportunity to rally all the support needed to push trade boundaries and optimize access to new markets. 

“We have to make, and not just take, standards, preferably at the ISO level. ARSO standards should become ISO standards due to our participation in standards development at the highest levels,” Prof. Dodoo said.