The President of the African Standards Organisation (ARSO) and Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Professor Alex Dodoo, has emphasised the need for Africa to develop and implement unified standards to enhance trade and economic integration across the continent.
Prof. Dodoo made the call during a meeting with the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, at the State House in Zanzibar.
The discussions, held on Tuesday ahead of the ARSO General Assembly, which opened Wednesday in Zanzibar, centered on strengthening Africa’s standardisation systems to support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and reduce reliance on foreign standards, which often disadvantage African producers.
Also present at the meeting were the President of the ISO, Dr. Sung Hwan Cho, and the Secretary General of ARSO, Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana.
Key discussions
Prof. Dodoo underscored the importance of harmonised regulations in boosting intra-African trade, particularly under AfCFTA, which seeks to create a single market for goods and services.
He noted that adopting continent-wide standards would eliminate technical barriers, improve competitiveness, and facilitate smoother cross-border commerce.
Commending Zanzibar for its efforts in strengthening the Zanzibar Bureau of Standards (ZBS), Prof. Dodoo stressed the need for African nations to collaborate in developing standards tailored to the continent’s economic and industrial needs.
President Mwinyi’s commitment
In response, President Mwinyi reaffirmed Zanzibar’s support for regional and continental standardisation efforts.
He acknowledged the role of harmonised standards in shaping policy and enhancing trade, noting Zanzibar’s strategic position as a growing trade and investment hub.
He expressed optimism that, with Ghana’s leadership credentials and as host of the AfCFTA Secretariat, coupled with its current leadership of ARSO, would fast-track the progress expected under a continental single market.
Strengthening institutional ties
The meeting concluded with an agreement to enhance cooperation between ARSO, ISO, and the continent’s regulatory bodies.
Prof. Dodoo reiterated ARSO’s commitment to providing technical support and capacity-building programmes to ensure African nations can develop and enforce high-quality standards.
About ARSO
Established in 1977, ARSO’s mandate is to harmonise African standards and conformity assessments to reduce trade barriers, promote intra-African and international trade, and drive industrialisation across the continent.
The ongoing ARSO General Assembly in Zanzibar is expected to outline actionable strategies to advance Africa’s economic integration through improved standardisation.
