The Africa Quality Mark (AQM) was unveiled during the 32nd African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO) General Assembly meeting in Mombasa, in a major step towards easing cross-border trade and eliminating costly barriers across the continent.
Stakeholders contend that the AQM will go a long way in enhancing intra-African trade by assuring product safety, reducing technical barriers, and cutting border delays.
The AQM, also known as the ARSO Dual Mark, is a unified continental certification system designed to authenticate product quality and eliminate duplicate testing under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The QR-code-enabled AQM will make digital verification easier for consumers and regulators while facilitating the seamless movement of products between African nations.
It will signify that products sold in ARSO Member States have been assessed and found to meet high safety, health, performance, and environmental protection requirements.
Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki, who officially unveiled the AQM, said it will remove technical barriers to trade by allowing products certified in one African nation to move across borders without undergoing repeated inspections.
“Africa’s economic sovereignty and wealth creation are the remaining frontier of our continent’s final liberation and freedom,” he declared during the unveiling ceremony.
He said the East African Community has been working to align standards and eliminate technical barriers to trade among member states, noting that the regional experience can serve as a stepping stone towards broader continental economic integration.
Prof. Kindiki said increased trade within Africa, with its population of 1.4 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of 3.4 trillion dollars, will help realize the aspirations of a free and prosperous continent.
However, he noted that barriers posed by multiple product quality inspections and standardization requirements are slowing the pace of cross-border trade.
“Standards are not just the fine prints of trade but the foundational stone for trade and development,” he said, adding that AQM is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of local goods across the African continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The Deputy President also advocated boosting the competitiveness of local goods across the African continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said a continent-wide free trade area will function most effectively when compliance processes such as standardization and mutual recognition are increasingly streamlined across borders.
Prof. Kindiki said standardization and mutual recognition under the AfCFTA aim to eliminate redundant product testing and reduce technical barriers across the 54 member states.
The DP called on National Standards Institutions to hasten the development of harmonised, mutually recognised quality standards that will enable seamless market access for goods produced in one African country across the entire continent.
He said ARSO harmonizes standards to boost trade across key economic sectors, prioritizing AfCFTA trade areas such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, automotive, mining, and tourism.
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Investments, Trade and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui, said harmonizing standards will facilitate the seamless movement of goods across the continent.
CS Kinyanjui said intra-African trade currently stands at only 17 per cent, yet African countries conduct up to 70 per cent of their trade with markets outside the continent.
“We must remove unnecessary barriers, open African markets to African products, and create wealth and jobs for our people,” he said, adding that in today’s global economy, quality is no longer optional but a competitive advantage.
He said for small and medium-sized businesses, standards are not just about compliance but a pathway to quality, credibility, and greater market access.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director Esther Ngari said mutual recognition of standards will ensure that goods tested and certified in one African country face fewer repetitive inspections when crossing borders.
“Harmonized standards can strengthen competitiveness, unlock market access and drive Africa’s economic transformation,” she said, adding that they will facilitate the seamless flow of certified products.
She said through the ARSO Dual Mark, products tested and certified through accredited conformity assessment bodies can enter importing countries without having to undergo similar assessment procedures again.
“AQM will facilitate intra-Africa trade and help businesses save time and resources besides enabling them to integrate into the global supply chains,” she said.
ARSO President and Botswana Bureau of Standards Managing Director, Botsile Kebapetse said Africa, under Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA, and with support from the international community, is poised to achieve a transformative agenda for the continent.
ARSO Secretary General Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana said standardization bodies are enablers of trade, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to developing standards that work for the continent under the AfCFTA.
He disclosed that the ARSO Council has approved 214 harmonised standards, covering 28 percent of the AfCFTA tariff lines.
The SG noted that more than 350 products have been certified with the ARSO quality mark and are traceable in nine countries.
International Organisation for Standardization Secretary General Sergio Mujica, underscored the importance of standardization in supporting social and economic development.
He challenged standards bodies to collaborate and share information to realize the harmonization goal.
National Standards Council Chairperson Chris Wamalwa said they are committed to providing strategic oversight to KEBS and supporting efforts to strengthen Kenya’s quality infrastructure, align the country’s standards with regional and international benchmarks, and advance mutual recognition across Africa.
“The ultimate purpose of standards is not the standard itself; it is the opportunity that the standards create. For a business to grow, for a product to cross a border, for the industry to compete, and for an African consumer to have confidence in what they buy.”
He added, “Let’s seize this opportunity to make one certificate not merely an aspiration but a reality for African business.”
Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said the biggest enemy of Africa is Africa itself, citing the low number of intra-African flights due to numerous restrictions and barriers that continue to lock the region out of a market of 1.6 billion people.
By Sadik Hassan and Hussein Abdullahi
