AFRICA INDUSTRIALISATION WEEK
16 – 20 NOVEMBER 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Inclusive and sustainable industrialization in the AfCFTA ERA
ARSO-AUC BREAKOUT SESSION
The Role of Quality Infrastructure in Facilitating Industrialization and Sustainable Development in Africa
17TH NOVEMBER 2020, 12:30HRS – 15:00HRS, NAIROBI TIME
Moderator – ARSO – Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, Secretary General, ARSO
AIW-2020-Brochure
Focusing on the African Pharmaceutical industry and the Role of Standardisation. Experiences and Challenges of ARSO Members and Strategies for Africa’s resilience and increased intra-African Trade in the post COVID 19
14th OCTOBER 2020 – 1430 HRS – 1630 HRS EAST AFRICAN TIME.
CONCEPT NOTE
Moderator – ARSO – Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, Secretary General, ARSO
Sub-Topics and Proposed Speakers:
ii Experience and Challenges in the use of African Traditional Medicine – The Standardisation processes : Standards and Conformity Assessment activities : Policy and the Quality and Safety Issues – Case studies from ARSO members
Summary and Way Forward: ARSO – Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, Secretary General.
Rationale for the Webinar and Background Information.
The COVID-19 pandemic which brought the world to a halt, is considered as the most crucial global health calamity of the century and the greatest challenge that the humankind has faced since the 2nd World War, with the UN’s Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to the COVID 19 Crisis warning that “The COVID-19 pandemic is far more than a health crisis as it is affecting societies and economies at their core. Indeed, never in the living memory, in recent times, has humanity faced such a challenge in medical, social and economic spheres of life that threatens the viability of all human systems and never before has health, safety and wellbeing been so vital to every aspect of our lives. COVID-19 presents unique challenges because it has no geographic center, its impact is dynamically shifting without regard to borders, and it spreads from human to human, thus threatening the very fabric of humanity that is embedded teamwork, interdependence and consultations, discussions and socialization among citizens.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have indicated COVID-19 pandemic as the largest threat to global economy since the financial emergency of 2008–2009, as COVID-19 has severely demobilized the global economy. In its April 2020 report, the African Union has reported that “Indeed, the high dependency of African economies vis-à-vis foreign economies predicts a negative economic spinoff for the continent, evaluated at an average loss of 1.5 points on economic growth 2020 and t it is unlikely that the 3.4 percent economic growth rate for the continent, forecast last year by the African Development Bank, will be achieved because of the COVID 19 crisis”. (AUC, 2020, https://africatimes.com/2020/04/06/new-au-report-zeroes-in-on-covid-19-economic-impacts/).
In the midst of extraordinary challenges and uncertainties, leaders are under pressure to make decisions on managing the immediate and long term impact of the pandemic and its consequences, decisions that will shape the state of the world for years to come and what might be the silver linings in the crisis and how might leaders use this moment to build a more resilient, prosperous, equitable and sustainable world, is a subject of interest (World Economic Forum 2020). On a positive note, due to the endemic reliance on imports, and the breakdowns in supply chains associated with lockdown measures, for the African continent, COVID‑19 has strengthened the case for developing intra-African regional value chains and unlocking the continent’s business potential, while focusing on the African SMEs and Africa’s Industrialisation and Manufacturing. COVID 19 has also magnified Africa’s reliance on imported pharmaceuticals (both final and intermediate products) and amplified the urgency to build competitive, resilient and robust value chains in this sector, including mainstreaming the African Traditional Medicine in the National Healthcare systems and pharmaceutical policies. Karisha Banga, et al. 2020, highlights that in 2018, 82.2% and 95.9% of Africa’s imports of food items, and medicinal and pharmaceutical products, respectively, originated from outside the continent. Not only were many of the main providers of Africa’s pharmaceuticals heavily hit by COVID‑19 (with main sources of imports being the EU-27, India and Switzerland), but many have also limited exports of medical supplies and medicines associated with the pandemic, putting many African countries in perilous positions.
In the wake of countries’ struggles to procure essential medical products to fight COVID‑19, there has already been a positive shift from global, to, towards more regional and local supply chains (with local Manufacturers and SMEs taking the lead to manufacture the required PPEs that comply with the recommended product standards) and with policy re-orientation towards self-reliance and endogenous self-sustained development, within the broad industrialization agenda of Africa (accelerating structural transformation, manufacturing, regional value chains with commensurate positive effects on the made in Africa products and product diversification) and within the prism of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)., . (https://trade4devnews.enhancedif.org/en/op-ed/boosting-african-regional-value-chain-development-response-covid-19-catalysing-role-afcfta). But the long-term economic benefits, according to UNCTAD, 2018c, will arise from unleashing the potential of regional value chains in the key sector, including Agro-processing and the pharmaceuticals (African Traditional Medicine), to foster manufacturing, trade, industrialisation and sustainable development.
At the continental level, UNECA and AFREXIMBANK have also partnered to support the scaling up of manufacturing of COVID‑19 medical supplies that can be produced in Africa and sent across borders. This is expected to facilitate a regional approach to developing medical value chains based on comparative advantages and economies of scale. It will also help ensure that African countries without the capacity to produce these products can access them from within the region. A recent survey jointly carried out by the Africa Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of UNECA and International Economics Consulting Ltd. (IEC) on the impact of COVID‑19 on business and trade across Africa substantiates the ability of African firms, with effective support from the African Quality Infrastructures (NSBs), to adapt and innovate in response to COVID‑19 challenges, including global supply chain disruptions.
Therefore, as countries all over the world are making a focused effort towards the re-opening of their economies with increased surge on the demand for safe and quality Personal Preventive Equipment, the role of standardisation is being tested and manifested at the same scale, to achieve the intricate balance of saving lives and livelihoods at the same time. Like their international counterparts (ISO, ASTML, AFNOR, CEN-CENELEC, SAC-China, SIS, INTERTEK, COTECNA) the African National Bureau of Standards and Certification Bodies are taking leadership role to offer, free of charge, the necessary standards and Conformity Assessment Services (see the link https://www.arso-oran.org/standards-for-covid-19/) for the local manufacturers/SMEs. At the continental level, ARSO has partnered with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) to launch a new Arab-Africa Trade Bridges Program (AATB) initiative called the Harmonisation of Standards for Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices in Africa, aimed at promoting the quality and safety of medicines and medical devices imported or produced on the continent. The initiative, to be implemented in a phased manner over three years, has begun with the harmonisation of standards for Pharmaceuticals and medicinal products (ARSO/TC 80), and Medical devices and equipment (ARSO/TC 78). The second phase will analyse and assess existing international, regional, and national standards for their suitability in meeting the unique challenges faced by African healthcare industries before achieving the 3rd phase, which is the harmonization of the related African Standards and their adoption on the continent. Participating ARSO members have nominated Experts to expedite the process.
Commenting on the initiative, ITFC CEO, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol highlighted that “From a trade development standpoint, harmonizing the standards of pharmaceutical products and medical devices in Africa is a crucial first step in facilitating local production and trade within the sector and those standards will provide a necessary baseline from which to regulate the sector more effectively, raising the quality of locally produced life-saving drugs and related products”. Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Afreximbank’ s Managing Director of the Intra-African Trade Initiative praised the initiative, noting that“At a time when the demand for quality medicines and medical devices is increasing, Africa needs to reinforce regional value chains to scale-up the supply of quality medical products and build up the continent’s resilience against pandemics like COVID-19 in the future.” ARSO’s Secretary General, Dr Hermogene Nsengimana, noted that “While on one hand COVID-19 has created social distancing as a new norm, on another hand it has brought Africa together by opening our eyes to the need for industrialisation, pointing out that Standards circulated by ARSO and other standards organisations related to face masks, and hand sanitizers have been used widely by African SMEs to develop locally made personal protective equipment thereby shedding light on the role of standards in industrialization, safety, and trade, and the project, will not only help in increasing local production but will also create trust and enable cross border trade and investment for pharmaceutical products and medical devices.” (https://www.africanews.com/2020/09/14/afreximbank-and-international-islamic-trade-finance-corporation-itfc-partner-with-arso-to-facilitate-intra-african-trade-in-pharmaceuticals-and-medical-devices-under-the-umbrella-of-the-aatb-program/).
The Webinar is also taking place when the International Standardisation Community is celebrating the 2020 World Standards Day on 14th October 2020 under the theme “Protecting the planet with standards”. In their Message, the IEC, ISO and ITU Presidents have highlighted that “the International standards prepared by IEC, ISO and ITU are used to help reduce the environmental impact of industrial production and processes and impact greatly on Government Policies and Health care Systems”. ARSO takes note of the initiatives by ISO to make its 20 standards freely available globally, including in Africa, (https://www.iso.org/covid19), AFNOR for the freely available AFNOR Spec – Barrier masks. The Standardisation Community appreciates ITU’s initiative on the REG4COVID platform to serve as a repository of emergency actions that the digital community around the world is taking to ensure the continued availability, accessibility and resilience of networks and resources, including virtual standardisation activities.
In all these lies the opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement that serves as the leading framework for boosting intra-African trade and fast-tracking the development of “made in Africa” brands embedded in competitive and robust regional value chains and ensuring that manufacturing, agro-processing and other activities across the continent are stimulated to supply the African Single Market’ and to position Africa, more strongly in the face of future global shocks and Pandemics.
The Webinar
Objective of the Webinar
The Main objective is to offer a platform for discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects on economies, the standardisation and conformity assessment systems being put in place by ARSO members, and more so the experiences of the ARSO members in the use of the Traditional medicine to offer herbal remedies to the citizens, while also focusing on building the Africa’s resilience in the post COVID-19, through increased industrialisation, manufacturing and establishment of regional value chains and intra-African trade.
Specific Objectives
Outputs of Webinar
Outcomes of Webinar
Impact
Mode of Presentation
Speakers may prepare brief slides of no more than 5 minutes to guide the discussions. The presentations will be projected by the ARSO Secretariat. Speakers, therefore, are kindly requested to forward their presentations early enough. The webinar will focus more on discussions. Speakers are further requested to forward detailed notes to be used for reporting purposes. The Presentations will be shared with the Participants.
About ARSO – www.arso-oran.org
ARSO, the African Organisation for Standardisation, is an Intergovernmental Organisation formed by the African Union (formerly OAU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in 1977 to promote Standardisation activities (harmonisation of standards and Conformity Assessment procedures) in Africa to facilitate intra-African and Global trade.
Audience
ARSO Membership, Experts and Stakeholders.
Cover Image Courtesy of Google Pictures (Market_Pharmacy_Tana_MS5179)
By: Jim Olshefsky, Director of External Relations ASTM International
Abstract: The article is intended to provide a brief introduction about ASTM International, its role in the development of standards, and promotion of the communication between ASTM International and worldwide national standards bodies, including the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO).
About ASTM International
ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of voluntary consensus standards. On June 16, 1898, seventy engineers and businessmen met in Philadelphia to form the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials. The American Section’s first technical committee on steel initiated a series of discussions of testing and material standards for the railroad industry, where most of its members were employed. At the fifth annual meeting of the American Section in 1902, they renamed the organization the American Society for Testing Materials. In 2001, ASTM changed its name to “ASTM International” to better reflect ASTM’s support of a standards development process that incorporates consensus irrespective of national borders. Today, over 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance health and safety, strengthen market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.
ASTM’s leadership in international standards development is driven by the contributions of our members: more than 30,000 of the world’s top technical experts and business professionals representing 150 countries. Working in an open and transparent process and using ASTM’s advanced Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, ASTM members create the test methods, specifications, classifications, guides, and practices that support consumers, industries, and governments worldwide.
ASTM International standards are developed in accordance with the guiding principles of the World Trade Organization for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance, and transparency. ASTM International world headquarters is located in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The organization also has offices in Belgium, Canada, China, Peru, and Washington, D.C.
Memorandum of Understanding Program
Launched in 2001, ASTM International’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide, fostering awareness of the standardization systems of all parties involved. The purpose of the program is to increase greater worldwide participation in the ASTM standards development process and facilitate the development of national standards that will aid health, safety, environmental, and economic conditions.
ASTM has had an active role in Africa since the signing of its first MoU on the African continent with the Standards Association of Zimbabwe in 2002. Since then, ASTM has signed MoU’s with 28 other African national standards bodies as well as two regional organizations; SADC Cooperation in Standards (SADCSTAN) in 2003 and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO) in 2019. A 2014 conversation between ASTM’s Vice President of Global Cooperation, Teresa Cendrowska, and officials from the Cameroon Agence des Normes et de la Qualité (ANOR) led to the signing of an MoU with the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) in 2015.
“The MOU will strengthen the relationship between our organizations to help meet the needs of people and businesses in Africa and around the world. In addition, the MOU will aid in the development of standards for health, safety and the environment in ARSO member states,” concluded the ASTM President at the occasion of the signing of the MoU between ARSO and ASTM in 2015.
ARSO, formerly the African Regional Organisation for Standardisation traces its genesis to the unfolding events and the prevailing mood of the African socio-political and economic Pan-Africanism of the 1970s and the culmination of which at a Conference held at the historic and important city of Accra, Ghana in 1977. In January of that year, the African Governments under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) (currently African Union (AU)) convened the Founding Conference of ARSO to consider the first Constitution of ARSO and to witness the formation of the Organisation to speed-up African Economic Integration. Today, ARSO serves as Africa’s intergovernmental standards body with the mandate of creating tools for standards development, harmonization, and implementation. Together, these systems work to enhance Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase Africa’s product and service competitiveness globally, uplift the welfare of African consumers, and serve as a standardization forum for future prospects in international trade.
The MoU signed between ASTM International and ARSO provides the opportunity for both organizations to have closer communications. It allows ASTM International’s technical resources to strengthen the relationship between the two parties to enhance their support for the needs of the ARSO Member States. ASTM International annually provides a complete subscription of its 12,000 standards to ARSO for its use in strengthening the ARSO standards program. Currently, ASTM has 116 MoU’s with national standards bodies and regional bodies worldwide, the most recent of which was an MoU signed with the Standards New Zealand in August 2020.
As reported by ARSO members in their respective annual reports to ASTM International, there are 6,632
citations to ASTM International standards from 131 ASTM technical committees. The use of ASTM standards yields many benefits and opportunities for the individual nations, the continent of Africa, and globally:
Individual MoU partner countries in Africa include Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
How ASTM Standards are Used
The information below provides some examples of how various African countries are utilizing ASTM International standards in several industry sectors.
ASTM Membership Requirements
Many professionals and students in Africa have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate as members of ASTM International, which is one of the benefits of the MoU program. Membership with ASTM International offers a wealth of opportunities, including the ability to propose modifications to the content of the standards and to make contact with some of the world’s renowned experts. ASTM membership is open to any interested party and requests for membership applications can be addressed to the author or found on the ASTM website.
ASTM Standard Development Process
The process used by ASTM International to develop standards is extremely flexible, refined over 120 years, to accommodate a diverse collection of activities. Test methods, specifications, classifications, practices, guides, and terminology are different categories of standards offered by ASTM. Areas ranging from petroleum, steel, and plastics, to homeland security, unmanned vehicles, and sustainability have all achieved standards-based solutions via ASTM’s standard development process.
ASTM receives a variety of requests for new standards development activities ranging from the development of a single standard to the formation of a new main technical committee. It’s important to note that not all requests ultimately reach fruition. As the organizational process evolves, it may be determined that the stakeholder’s interest is insufficient, other standards may exist that satisfy the particular need, or that it is premature for a consensus standards program. When a request is initially submitted, ASTM maps the scope and subject area to its existing committee population. If ASTM can find an appropriate venue, it coordinates the proposed activity with the officers of the committee and subcommittee(s) in question. If the request covers an area unrepresented within ASTM, the staff will proceed with their new organizational activity process.
All technical decisions regarding a proposed activity are made by the appropriate committee members who are technical experts from industry, government, academia, and consumers, not by the ASTM staff. Specific staff resources and activities include the following:
Should there be a need to revise an existing ASTM International standard, to closely meet specific needs, the first step is to contact the chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the document in question to explain the rationale for that proposed change. The request will trigger the formation of a task group to develop a revision. If it is not known which subcommittee has jurisdiction, the staff manager should be contacted or the ASTM International website should be searched to locate the specific committee, subcommittee, and staff manager for all approved ASTM International standards.
There are many different roles within the ASTM standards development process including: ASTM technical committee members, technical contacts for work items, subcommittee and main committee officers, and attendees at meetings. The ASTM Regulations’ Appendix B: ASTM International Responsibilities of Membership are intended to assist members in the ASTM process in executing their respective roles and responsibilities. Because no single set of guidelines can address every possible situation, ASTM members and visitors attempt to act in a manner which is consistent with the mission of ASTM and its policies, as well as the spirit of these guidelines. Concerns regarding member responsibilities are reviewed and resolved by the appropriate officers of the technical committee.
Once approval has been received from the subcommittee to begin a revision, a new work item should be registered using the registration form in the “Members Only” area of the ASTM website. An electronic version of the ASTM standard are sent to the requester in Microsoft Word. Ballot submittal instructions are included along with the Word document. It should be noted that if any problems arise during the revision process, the staff manager of the committee will be available to resolve them.
The ballot must contain a cover letter explaining the reason for the proposed action. Examples of such reasons are the following:
Subcommittee ballots are conducted by ASTM headquarters. The ballot results, negatives, and comments are included in a closing report which all subcommittee members can access via the ASTM website once the ballot is closed. Sixty percent of the official voting members must return ballots before the ballot can close. Abstaining votes are counted for the requirement. An affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the combined affirmative and negative votes cast by the official voting members on each ballot item is required for a successful ballot of that item. Abstentions do not count in the calculation.
Negative votes received on subcommittee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the item. If substantive changes to the document are made in response to a persuasive negative vote, the item must be re-balloted. If, however, all negative votes are withdrawn or ruled not related or not persuasive, the item may go on to main committee ballot assuming all other ballot requirements are met.
The ASTM Regulations mandate that all negative votes must be considered, and proper consideration of negative votes cast throughout the ballot process demands that due process be afforded to all negative voters. Negative votes received on subcommittee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the ballot item. Negative votes received on main committee ballots are considered by the subcommittee that initiated the ballot item and, if necessary, by the main committee. The subcommittee chair report at the main meeting must report on these negative votes and the subcommittee’s consideration of them, including rationales for any action taken and vote counts on motions. At the main meeting, the committee chair must allow discussion before taking a vote on any motions to uphold the actions of the subcommittee. A hand count of official voting members must be taken on these motions. The votes are recorded, along with the reasons for the motion, in the minutes.
After a standard has successfully cleared the three levels of peer review provided by ASTM (subcommittee, main committee, and Society), it is assigned a fixed alphanumeric designation and receives an official approval date. The document is then considered to be an ASTM standard and is capable of being cited in contractual language, referenced by a code body, or mandated by a state or local government. Average development time for a new standard is approximately 18 months and eight months for a revision of a currently approved standard.
During the main committee ballot and Society Review, the ASTM editorial department works to ensure that the standard is in the correct format and is correctly tagged using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).
Approximately eight weeks after a standard is approved, it is available for distribution as a stand-alone document in a variety of media (email, fax, hard-copy) and may be purchased from ASTM International via customer service (610-832-9585) or the ASTM International website (www.astm.org). All ASTM International standards are housed in specific volumes of ASTM’s annual book of standards. Several translations of ASTM standards are also available for sale and can be found by visiting the Standards and Publications pages of the ASTM website.
Proficiency Testing Programs
ASTM proficiency testing programs are statistical quality assurance programs that enable laboratories to evaluate & improve performance, as well as maintain and fulfill mandatory accreditation requirements. As a proficiency testing program participant, laboratories receive different samples (representative of the product line) for each test cycle, electronic data submittal forms, and test instructions. The laboratory performs the test they normally conduct within their own facility using the specified ASTM methods cited in the program. Upon completing the tests, each laboratory electronically submits their test data to ASTM for use in generating statistical summary reports. 70 laboratories from 15 different African countries, are already participating in 35 different programs.
Visits of International Delegates to ASTM International
In 2019, ASTM staff met with a delegation of international experts at the Bi-annual meetings of ASTM committee D02 on petroleum products, liquid fuels, and lubricants in New Orleans, LA, USA. The visit focused on learning more about the U.S. standardization system, ASTM’s standardization process, and specifically ASTM standards for petroleum products. The delegation included experts from the petroleum industry globally, some of whom were traveling to the meetings on business and others who were participating in ASTM led programs. ASTM regularly offers capacity building activities both in-person and online.
Opportunities for delegations or individuals to visit ASTM International are available to representatives of industry and government. These visits are for those who wish to use or better understand ASTM International standards and/or contribute to the content of the ASTM standards to reflect local market and regulatory needs. Participants can meet with technical experts in their field and develop a network of contacts. A typical program includes eight to ten participants who are technical experts within a sector or technical field. Costs are covered primarily by the participants’ sponsoring industry or government, although ASTM staff plans and executes these programs, including key site visits, for which it does not charge the participants.
ASTM and ARSO will continue to take steps to encourage and support greater African participation in ASTM standards development activities and in laboratory proficiency testing programs. Together they will pursue professional exchange programs for ARSO experts to come to ASTM International Headquarters for extended study of the ASTM International standards development process.
About the Author
Mr. Jim Olshefsky has worked at ASTM International for 22 years supporting the development and promotion of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services. In 2007, Mr. Olshefsky assumed the role of Director of External Relations where he helps to facilitate ASTM’s international outreach within ASTM’s Global Cooperation Department. Mr. Olshefsky supports ASTM’s Memorandum of Understanding program with developing countries and his work is focused in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. His contributions include speaking to international audiences, students, and educators to promote the use of ASTM standards worldwide and to encourage increased standards education at universities. Prior to moving to Global Cooperation, he directed ASTM’s Committee Services Department in the Technical Committee Operations Division and spent several years as a Staff Manager of various ASTM technical committees. Mr. Olshefsky has a BS degree in Business Logistics from the Pennsylvania State University.
More information on the MoU program can be found on the ASTM International Web site (www.astm.org/GLOBAL) or contact Mr. Jim Olshefsky at jolshefsky@astm.org
The COVID-19 Standards and Conformity Assessment Activities in ARSO Member States
The COVID-19 Standards and Conformity Assessment Activities in ARSO Member States
Date: 30th June 2020 at 1430HRS to 1630HRS East African Time
Register Here in Advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsfu6orzouG9wEU_h1akW09K4yaypTpqdB
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
CONCEPT NOTE
Presiding Moderator: Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, Secretary General, African Organization for Standardization
Speakers
Rationale for the Webinar and Background Information
With the Covid-19 pandemic, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, intensifying globally, including in Africa and in the face of such an alarming situation that is exacting a heavy toll on countries’ health-care services and threatening the World Economy, including Africa, African leaders, under the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the International Community, under the WHO are putting in place, both short and long term Public Health strategies to mitigate the pandemic, which has brought with it a paradigm shift and a re-orientation from the traditional ways of global life styles, leading to Travel bans, Social distancing, Use of Protective Personal Equipment, Lockdowns, culminating into New ways of doing old things with new things replacing the old- “the New Norm”.
The WHO’s Regional Office for Africa in hosting a virtual ‘hackathon’ bringing together 100 leading innovators to pioneer creative local solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic and to address critical gaps in the regional response, with proposals including the provision of Quality and Safe personal protective equipment (PPE). Already the African Traditional Medicine and Herbal solutions are being touted to provide solutions, for example the Madagascar Artamisia covid-organics and the Kenyan Zedupex, thus highlighting the importance of the Standards to mitigate the issues of efficacy, Safety, Quality & Quality Control, Processing and harvesting , Pharmacogivilane and Administrative issue.
The COVID-19 Standardisation Solutions
The COVID-19 Pandemic has offered yet a more concrete evidence of the enduring role of standards and the related quality infrastructure components (technical regulations, conformity assessment regimes (testing, certification, inspections), metrology, accreditation, market surveillance and quality assurance), in enhancing Government policy objectives, not only in trade of products and services, but also in Public Policy, human health, Safety and environmental management.
The standards and the related quality infrastructure organizations are in the frontline to ensure safe the production of quality and safe products, as there is increased and essential demand for safe and quality Personal Preventive Equipment (PPE) measures (face masks, sanitizers, safe water and soaps, medical gloves, clinical electrical thermometers, medical waste management and disposal), to counterbalance the the counterfeits. Across the Globe, the Standardisation Community are offering free of Charge standards and conformity Assessment for the manufacturing of Safe and Quality PPEs, as the COVID-19 Pandemic evolves rapidly and uncertainly. Like their international counterparts (ISO, ASTML, AFNOR, CEN-CENELEC, SAC-China, SIS, INTERTEK, COTECNA) the National Bureau of Standards and Certification Bodies have taken leadership role to offer, free of charge, the necessary standards and guidelines for the manufacture, testing and certification of the PPEs. Many ARSO members (Cameroon/ANOR –12 standards; Kenya/KEBS – 14 Standards; Morocco/IMANOR- 3 Standards and Various Conformity Assessment Activities; South Africa/SABS – 24 standards; Uganda/UNBS – 8 Standards; Tanzania/TBS – 4 Standards; Malawi/MBS – 4 standards; Egypt/EOS 27 Standards) have submitted to the Central Secretariat their published standards on COVID -19 interventions, and available at https://www.arso-oran.org/standards-for-covid-19/. Like in many ARSO member States which are running COVID-19 based Conformity Assessment Programmes, the Intertek in particular runs a PROTEK Programme which is an end-to-end health, safety and wellbeing assurance programme for people, workplaces and public spaces, offering audits, training, inspection, verification and certification solutions.
With about 27 African Standards in different stagers (9 ARS, 4 FDARS, 4CD, 13 WD), including ARSO FDARS 1470: 2019 Hand Sanitizers (alcohol based) – Specification, ARSO has expedited the Standards approval for medical and pharmaceutical products, and urged the African NSBs to make medical standards freely available and create customs ‘Green Lanes’ for super-fast clearance of medical supplies to help mitigate the virus and ensure people have access to the safe, essential products they rely on. In consideration of the role of African Traditional Medicine in stopping the COVID-19, ARSO has published the African Traditional Medicine Policy Document to guide the Development and implementation of ATM Standards for COVID-19 and for handling such pandemics in future.
The COVID-19, therefore, provides an opportunity for standards comparison and harmonisation, which is also correspondingly growing, with a need for new collaborative initiatives and rapid implementation of the necessary interventions in a timely manner and at the appropriate scale slow down save lives and live hoods, while minimizing economic, public and social impacts. The call therefore for effective Quality Infrastructure at the national, regional and Continental levels (with effective Quality Policies) in Africa as per the directives already laid out in various Continental and International policies, including the Abuja Treaty, The Lagos Plan of Action and currently, the AfCFTA Protocol (TBT Annex 6 and SPS Annex 7), as well as the WTO TBT/SPS Agreements, is underlined to strengthen Africa’s resilience and capacity, to deal with such pandemics in future.
The Webinar
Objective of the Webinar
The Main objective is to offer a platform for discussion on the Standardisation interventions against the COVID-19 among the ARSO members.
Specific Objectives
Outputs of Webinar
Outcomes of Webinar
Impact
Mode of Presentation
Audience: ARSO Membership and Stakeholders
Dr. Ben Manyido, Director General, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) welcomes delegates to the 26th ARSO General Assembly Events to be hosted by the Government of the Republic of Uganda, through the UNBS.
| Sudan. Dr Sharif Mohamed Sharif appointed the New Directeur General of Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organisation (SSMO). SSMO has its headquarters in Khartoum. A part from ARSO, SSMO is a member of ISO, the African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO), the Arab Standards and Metrology Organization (ASMO), and Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Arab Industrial and Mining Organization (AIDMO), the Islamic Institute for Standardization, the International Institute for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC), African Electro-technical Standardization Commission (AFSEC), International Organization for legal metrology (OIML), an affiliate member of IEC. Besides being the focal point for SPS and TBT WTO Agreements. SSMO also signed several; bilateral agreements with the following: the Kenyan Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Korean Agency for Standardization (KATS), the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology (JISM), the Syrian Arab Organization for Standardization and Metrology (SASMO), the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS), the Saudi Arabia Standards Organization, the Syrian Standards Organization (SASO), Emirates Authority for Standardization (ESMA), Turkish National Center for Standardization (TSE), Libyan National Center for Standardization (LNCSM), General Administration for Chinese Standards (SAC),Uganda National Center for Standardization (UNBS), Tunis National Institute for Standardization (INORPI) and the in the process of signing with the Ethiopian Standards Authority (QSAE). |
The UN General Assembly in its 74th Plenary held on the 6th April, 2017 declared 27th June as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, recognizing the importance of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in achieving sustainable development goals and in promoting innovation, creativity and sustainable work for all. with this, Economic and Trade policies are becoming alive to the fact that Investing in SMEs is a long-term and smart strategy, with sustainable returns that multiply across societies, as the world over, SMEs are the cornerstone of most economies. They account for about half of global gross domestic product (GDP) and 60 %–70 % of employment. In Africa, they make up the lion’s share of enterprises and hire a large portion of the workforce, mainly the poorer, more vulnerable segments of society, such as youth and women. Investing in them will make them contribute more to GDP growth because of increased SME productivity, and it would mean better jobs and higher pay in the low-wage segments of the economy. Their increased competitiveness and productivity, through Policy reform, development of the trade support ecosystem and capacity building, including better regulatory environment and adopting of the Quality culture, standardisation, can contribute to solving one of Africa’s greatest socio-economic challenges, unemployment, poverty and hunger. It is estimated that Africa’s workforce will increase by a staggering 910 million people between 2010 and 2050, of which 830 million will be in sub-Saharan Africa. The ARSO SMEs Standardisation programme (including, the Made in Africa Expo, the African Day of Standardisation Forum, Simplified outreach Materials, Capacity Building and Training Workshops, and involvement in African Industries in the ARSO Standards Development and Harmonisation projects) seeks to addresses some of the, following barriers highlighted below by Experts (Henk J. de Vries et al. 2013, New opportunities – Improving SME access to standards- https://www.iso.org/news/2013/02/Ref1711.html; SME Competitiveness: Standards and regulations matter http://www.intracen.org/uploadedFiles/intracenorg/Content/Redesign/Projects/SME_Competitiveness/Part%20I.pdf,; UNCTAD/ITE/TEB/2005/1- improving the competitiveness of SMEs through enhancing productive capacity, BSI):
Highlights of the 25th ARSO General Assembly Events – 17th -21st June 2019 –:
ARSO held the annual ARSO Week, the 25th ARSO General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya on 17th – 21st June 2019 at Panari Hotel, with the events including:
The events, hosted by the Government of the Republic of Kenya, through the Kenya Bureau of Standards were attended by representatives from twenty-four (24) member States, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia (Proxy Zambia), Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zanzibar (Observer member) and Policy Makers, Regulatory Bodies, Automotive Industry Experts/Stakeholders, representatives from national regional, Continental and International Organisations (AAS, AMC Group Africa, AFREXIM BANK, AFRAC, AFSEC, AFRIMETS, African Union, AFNOR, BSI, CEN-CENELEC/SIS, COMESA, DNVGL, ECOWAS,GSO, DNVGL, IEC, Intertek, ISO, ITU, KCFCS, KABM, KENAS, KATS/Korea, KOFINAF, NEPAD, NRCS,PTB, RNF, SAC, SMIIC, TMEA, UL, UNECA, UNIDO.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Hon. Mr. Peter Munya, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, and addressed by Dr. Oswald Dr. Chinyamakobvu, Senior TBT/SPS Expert, African Union Commission, ARSO President, Dr. Eve Gadzikwa, KEBS Managing Director, Mr. Bernard Njiraini (addressing the delegates), and the ARSO Secretary General, Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana.
Mr. Munya emphasised on the importance of the AfCFTA as a key African Agenda 2063 Flagship Project that will trigger a virtuous cycle of more intra-African trade, which in turn will drive the structural transformation of economies from low productivity and labour intensive activities to higher productivity, with a marked impact on Poverty reduction and significant benefits to millions of African citizens. He called on all Standardisation Stakeholders to work closely with Policy Makers to address the challenges posed by TBTs within the opportunities under AfCFTA Protocol.Hon. Peter Munya (center), together with the ISO President, Mr. Eddy Njoroge, 2nd Right and Dr. Nsengimana, 2nd left, following proceedings of the African Day of Standardisation Forum.
Dr. Chinyamakobvu outlined the current re-orientation of policy at the Africa Union, with the African Quality Infrastructure development being given high priority, under the Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI). Dr. Eve Gazikwa emphasised the integral part being played by Quality Infrastructure in the implementation of the Free Trade Areas and called on the Standardisation community in Africa to collaborate in strengthening Quality Infrastructure in Africa’s. Mr. Bernard Njiraini emphasised on the role of the African National Bureau Standards (NSBs) on the implementation of the AfCFTA, while Dr. Nsengimana highlighted the strategic role of ARSO and the importance of the partnerships among the various Stakeholders, including the Private Sector and Development Partners in addressing the TBT Challenges under the AfCFTA.
In their Contributions, the ISO Secretary General Sergio MUJICA and the ISO President Elect, Mr. Edward Njoroge called on the increased, the need for strong voice of African countries in ISO Standardisation work and participation of ARSO members in the ISO Governance structures, and greater cooperation with ARSO within the opportunities in the AfCFTA Agreement and in the ISO initiatives on Sustainable development Goals.
The African Day of Scandalisation Forum on 19th June 2019, left no doubt that, while international trade provides opportunities for companies to benefit from important economies of scale, a proliferation of different standards and technical regulations and inconsistency in quality requirements, including the African Automotive Industry, drastically reduce these benefits. The overall recommendation of the Forum is the need for a common Regulatory Framework for Africa driven by the three global principles of “once tested (harmonised standards/equivalence policy), once certified (harmonised conformity assessment procedures), accepted everywhere (Accreditation and Mutual recognition arrangements)”, along with building Institutional Capacity and greater Awareness among African Institutions, Policy Makers, Producers and Traders (SMEs), the Academia, Consumers and the General Public, and with ARSO and the standardisation stakeholders (RECs, the AU, UNECA, Afreximbank, AfDB, NEPAD (PAQI institutions-AFRIMETS, AFRAC, AFSEC)and the Private Sector) playing a greater role.
The Events also witnessed the signing of cooperation MoUs between ARSO and the International Trade Union (ITU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO), and side-line meetings on ARSO Cooperations and programmes implementation with:
The UN General Assembly in its 74th Plenary held on the 6th April, 2017 declared 27th June as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, recognizing the importance of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in achieving sustainable development goals and in promoting innovation, creativity and sustainable work for all. with this, Economic and Trade policies are becoming alive to the fact that Investing in SMEs is a long-term and smart strategy, with sustainable returns that multiply across societies, as the world over, SMEs are the cornerstone of most economies. They account for about half of global gross domestic product (GDP) and 60 %–70 % of employment. In Africa, they make up the lion’s share of enterprises and hire a large portion of the workforce, mainly the poorer, more vulnerable segments of society, such as youth and women. Investing in them will make them contribute more to GDP growth because of increased SME productivity, and it would mean better jobs and higher pay in the low-wage segments of the economy. Their increased competitiveness and productivity, through Policy reform, development of the trade support ecosystem and capacity building, including better regulatory environment and adopting of the Quality culture, standardisation, can contribute to solving one of Africa’s greatest socio-economic challenges, unemployment, poverty and hunger. It is estimated that Africa’s workforce will increase by a staggering 910 million people between 2010 and 2050, of which 830 million will be in sub-Saharan Africa. The ARSO SMEs Standardisation programme (including, the Made in Africa Expo, the African Day of Standardisation Forum, Simplified outreach Materials, Capacity Building and Training Workshops, and involvement in African Industries in the ARSO Standards Development and Harmonisation projects) seeks to addresses some of the, following barriers highlighted below by Experts (Henk J. de Vries et al. 2013, New opportunities – Improving SME access to standards- https://www.iso.org/news/2013/02/Ref1711.html; SME Competitiveness: Standards and regulations matter http://www.intracen.org/uploadedFiles/intracenorg/Content/Redesign/Projects/SME_Competitiveness/Part%20I.pdf,; UNCTAD/ITE/TEB/2005/1- improving the competitiveness of SMEs through enhancing productive capacity, BSI):
The SDG Index score signifies a country’s position between the worst (0) and best (100) outcomes. Morocco leads the continent with a score of 66.1. Source, SDG Center for Africa’s SDG Index and Dashboards Report Summary 2018.
Goal 16 of the SDGs calls on all African member states to build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels with a focus to promote rule of law; reduce illicit flows, corruption and bribery. The UN Secretary-General, António Gutierrez, highlights that corruption could be one of the greatest impediments to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Goals in Africa, and advising for strong institutions that bring together departments across sectors to analyse emerging governance and corruption challenges in Africa (UNDP 2017). José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International (2014), has also emphasised that corruption represents a major obstacle to reaching all the SDG goals as it hampers economic growth and increases poverty, depriving the most marginalised groups of equitable access to vital services such as healthcare, education and water and sanitation. The ARSO’s ARS 1651 (E) – Good Financial Grant practice Requirements, developed under the ARSO Technical Harmonization Committee Number 12-2 on Financial Services with Experts from across African countries and from Finance background, and launched on 12th December, 2018, in Pretoria South Africa, is meant to facilitate Excellence in Grant Financial Management in Africa and advocating for strong and credible Financial institutions and practices to curb the war on corruption. It provides details of the requirements, specifications and criteria to be applied, to implement good financial grant practice, hence reducing the risk of corruption, bribery and fraud.
The SDGs GOAL 3 is on Good Health and Well-being, advocating for effective health care services for all. For Africa, Traditional Medicine acts as the first line of treatment for many people as Numerous traditional African medicines, due to their accessible, affordable and cultural acceptance, are undeniably, the main or only treatment of diseases or maintaining good health, as 80% – 90 % of people in Africa depend on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare (WHO, 2003) and the demand is growing at between 10 % to 20 % annually across the world. Dur to this, in its Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023, the WHO aims at building the knowledge base and formulating national policies; strengthening safety, proven quality and effectiveness through regulation; and, promoting universal health coverage by integrating T&CM services and self-health care into national health systems. With this, several African countries and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have put in place initiatives to incorporate ATM in their healthcare systems, however the regulatory framework is weak. With Experts from all over the continent, ARSO has initiated, in 2013, a programme on developing a continental regulatory Framework for the African Traditional Medicine, including, harmonisingAfrican Standards (ARS) and developing Conformity Assessment regimes to promote quality and safety of African Traditional Medicine, through a dependable regulatory Framework.
The world is increasingly urbanising, with Africa’s urban dwellers projected to hit around a billion in 2050. This trend has resulted in mobility revolution with an increased rate of motorization, but with devastating health results in key African cities such as Cairo, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Dakar (Hitchcock, Conlan, Kay, Brannigan, & Newman, 2014), with the need for clean and safe mobility in Africa attracting the attention of the policy makers, owing to over reliance on used vehicles, and owing to the fact that , dirty air in Africa could be killing 712,000 people a year, prematurely, compared with approximately 542,000 from unsafe water, 275,000 from malnutrition and 391,000 from unsafe sanitation (Dr Rana, 2016).
The United Nations (UNEP) is leading several global partnerships supporting a shift to cleaner and more efficient vehicles, including the Global Fuel Economy Initiative, eMob – promoting electric mobility, and the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV). The PCFV is the leading global initiative to support countries in introducing cleaner (used) vehicles standards, regulations and policies. ARSO in collaboration with Afreximbank has initiated, May 2019, under the ARSO Technical Working Group 08-4, a programme for the development of Regulatory Framework to Africa’s automotive sector, targeting the adoption of Clean Mobility solutions through standardisation. This initiative promoting transition to clean fuels and vehicle technologies, supported with harmonised continental regulatory Framework, and addresses the SDGs, 3-Good Health and Well-being; 6-Clean Water and Sanitation; 7-Affordable and Clean Energy; 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities; 13- Climate Action. The Automotive Stakeholders, held a meeting on 19th June 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya to develop roadmap for activities. First harmonisation meeting is scheduled for August 31st, 2019. 18 standards for harmonisation has been identified, with four being given the first priority:
With increased globalisation, liberalisation and open economy, and with the onset of 4th Industrial revolution, with Information and communication technologies (ICTs) services such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the Artificial Intelligence (AI), competitiveness of firms is increasingly becoming dependant on the ability to incorporate new technology and management practices. It is a dynamic New Combinations between Technology, Market, and Society offering new manufacturing and digital trade platforms, which provides both opportunities and challenges fr Africa’s SMEs. To take advantage and offer standardisation solution, ARSO is collaborating with IEEE on institutional coordination regarding the African Standardization Strategy for the 4th Industrial Revolution under the IEEE-SA Industry Connections Project. Initial activities focus on developing a strategy and roadmap, plus potential pilots and related capacity building activities. The collaboration also entails the deployment of Embedded Computing for Internet of Thing (IoT) Systems IEEE Blended Learning Program (IBLP-IOT-01). This cuts across Many SDGs: 1- Ending Poverty, 2-Zero Hunger, 3-Good Health and Wellbeing, 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9-Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 11-Sustainable Cities and Community.