The 32nd General Assembly of the African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO) ended on a high note with the appointment of Kenya’s Head of Public Service (HOPS), Felix Koskei, as the organisation’s Goodwill Ambassador.
Koskei was appointed in recognition of his outstanding contribution as a champion of quality and standardization.
Koskei received the continental honour during a colourful gala dinner that marked the culmination of the four-day meeting, which brought together more than 400 participants from 56 countries. He joins former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius among distinguished personalities recognised by ARSO.
“I accept this responsibility with deep humility and a profound sense of duty. I thank the ARSO Council for its confidence and the Kenya Bureau of Standards for the nomination,” said the HOPS, adding that the role was not simply an honour to hold but a duty to carry.
He promised to leverage his position in the public service to champion standardization as an instrument of national competitiveness and advance the One Certificate agenda by building the intergovernmental support needed to turn mutual recognition from protocol into everyday reality for African traders and consumers.
The 32nd ARSO General Assembly was held under the theme, “Standards Enabling Intra-Africa Trade under the AfCFTA: One Certificate Working for You.”
Koskei said Africa has a market of more than 1.4 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about USD 3.4 trillion, alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides an opportunity for African countries to trade more with one another.
Yet, he added, multiple product inspections and differing standards across countries continue to increase the cost and time of doing business, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“Standards do more than ensure compliance because they help our farmers reach new markets, enable our manufacturers to trade across borders, and position African products to compete globally,” stated Koskei.
He added, “Harmonised and mutually recognised standards will allow a product certified in one African country to access markets across the continent more easily. It is against this shared ambition for a more integrated and competitive Africa that I am humbled to be appointed Goodwill Ambassador of ARSO.”
A key highlight of the four-day meeting was the launch of the Africa Quality Mark (AQM), alongside a commitment by Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki to allocate land in Nairobi for the construction of ARSO headquarters.
The mark has been widely hailed as a vital tool for eliminating duplicate product testing, reducing trade barriers, and boosting intra-African commerce under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The AQM, also known as the African Dual Mark, was unveiled during the 32nd ARSO General Assembly in Mombasa.
ARSO was formed in 1977 with the principal mandate of harmonizing African standards, conformity assessment, and related procedures to reduce technical barriers to trade, promote intra-African and international trade, and enhance the continent’s industrialisation.
The AfCFTA is a massive free trade zone uniting 55 African Union member states and covering a market of about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately USD 3.4 trillion.
The ARSO conference brought together voices shaping Africa’s standards, trade, and industrial development.
The harmonised African Standards Certification Mark of Quality will allow businesses to test and certify products once for acceptance across all AfCFTA markets.
Under the one-standard, one-certificate system, goods will be able to cross African borders without undergoing repeated testing, cutting costs and speeding up intra-African trade.
Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry Lee Kinyanjui said the AQM will help “Africa conquer the African market.”
Kinyanjui said the harmonization of standards will go a long way in facilitating the seamless movement of goods across the continent.
He said intra-African trade currently stands at only 17 per cent, while 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.
He added that for SMEs, standards are not just about compliance but are a pathway to quality, credibility, and access to bigger markets.
The Trade Minister commended the technical team under the stewardship of ARSO President Botsile Kebapetse, ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica, and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director Esther Ngari for their excellent work in making the Assembly a huge success.
KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari said a unified standardization system in Africa will boost economic growth by removing non-tariff barriers and lowering compliance costs across borders.
She said the 32nd ARSO General Assembly brought together experts from across the continent and the global standards community to explore how harmonised standards can strengthen competitiveness, unlock market access, and drive Africa’s economic transformation.
Ngari said the newly unveiled AQM will promote a “test once, certify once, and sell everywhere” trade model.
“AQM will open more markets, strengthen value addition, and ensure African products reach buyers across the continent competitively,” she said.
She said the unification of standards will effectively eliminate local protectionism, industry monopolies, and market segmentation that restrict economic growth.
Ngari said that with the AQM, Africa will have a standard mark that will shape quality, open markets, and make intra-African trade a reality.
“Africa should have a standard mark of quality applicable across the continent to facilitate trade and economic growth,” she said.
The KEBS Managing Director said quality builds trust while standards drive opportunity, noting that advancing quality and standards is key to building stronger businesses, protecting consumers, and unlocking opportunities across Africa.
Ngari said ARSO’s harmonised standards will boost trade across key economic sectors, prioritising AfCFTA trade areas such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, automotive, mining, and tourism.
“Through harmonised standards, we are building trust, opening markets, and creating opportunities that reach beyond borders,” she said, adding that the just-concluded ARSO conference was more than a General Assembly but “Africa aligning for Africa.”
ARSO Secretary-General Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana called for a unified African standards system that reduces technical barriers, strengthens trust across borders, and enables seamless trade under the AfCFTA.
He said the AQM has the potential to increase economies of scale through integration, boost demand for African goods, and make the continent more attractive to foreign investment.
“Overall, the hope of AQM’s success is to strengthen one of Africa’s ambitions of establishing a single market,” he said.
By Sadik Hassan and Hussein Abdullahi
