Climate Action – The ARSO Eco Mark Africa Project, launched on 8th March 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, is geared towards promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in Africa. The programme integrates, the concepts of environmental, social and economic sustainability and is a useful tool for promoting sustainable production and consumption of goods and services as well as addressing various sustainable development goals, including the mitigating the climate action in Africa, while ensuring the production of eco-friendly African products for better regional and global market access. The certification is based on the ARSO Sustainability and Eco-labelling standards: ARS/AES 01: Agriculture, for the sustainable production, processing and trading of agricultural products; ARS/AES 02: Fisheries – for the sustainable harvesting of fish as well as addressing the Ecosystem issues; ARS/AES 03: Forestry- for sustainable management of forests; ARS/AES 04: Tourism for sustainable management of tourism, while promoting Eco Tourism and environmental conservation.
SMEs Competitiveness – The MADE IN AFRICA EXPO. – SDG Goal 17
In her Message during the MSME World Day on 27th June 2019, Her E excellency, Amina J. Mohammed, and UN Deputy Secretary General highlighted that the MSMEs are key to creating the 600 million new jobs needed by 2030 to keep pace with the growth of the world’s working-age population. SMEs across key sectors of national economies are an important element of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and ending poverty and hunger. Initiated in 2013, the ARSO yearly-week-long Made in Africa Expo is a programme that promotes the competitiveness of African SMEs, through creating awareness on how meeting standards and acquiring quality certifications are essential to access foreign markets and become part of the global value chains. Certified firms are typically more productive and supply better-quality products, facilitating access to new markets, new investors and greater buyer satisfaction. The latest Made in Africa Expo was held in the week of 17th – 21t June 2019 during the 25th ARSO General Assembly Events in Nairobi, Kenya, with Kenyan SMEs participating in the Expo and expressing their challenges with standardisation.