ARSO COCO
ARSO Consumer committee (ARSO COCO) was approved by the 48th ARSO Council meeting. It promotes Consumer participation in African standardization processes as a means of availing them an avenue to articulate consumer interests in the standardization and conformity assessment. This is because standards provide an important platform to address the following eight consumer rights:
- The right to consumer education
- The right to a healthy environment
- The right to satisfaction of basic needs
- The right to safety
- The right to to be informed
- The right to to be heard
- The right to redress
- The right to choice
Objectives and Functions
ARSO COCO acts as African consumer vigilant and voice in standardisation by:
- Providing information on how standardization benefits consumers and how consumers can contribute to standards development
- Mobilize African consumer bodies to participate in National and Regional standards setting
- Provide standardisation informational material in relation to the consumer issues
- Ensure the African standards produced are relevant to the market
How Consumers get their concerns addressed in standards?
- Attending forums for the exchange of Information: environment, health, safety, and privacy in standardization discussions
- Take part in the standards making process
- Pointing out good and services that require standards or do not meet expectations in terms of safety, quality
- Proposing solutions to address the issues that require consumer protection
- Consuming goods and products that utilize African standards
Participating Member States: (1) Benin (2) Botswana (3) Burkina Faso (4) Central Africa Republic (5) Egypt (6) Ethiopia (7) Ghana (8)Kenya (9) Nigeria (10) Rwanda (11) Somalia (12) South Africa (13) Seychelles (14) Tanzania (15) Togo (16) Uganda (17) Zambia (18) Zimbabwe
Leadership
Chairperson: Uganda – Henry Kimera
Secretary: Botswana – Abigail Rankokwane
Working Groups under COCO
Working Group 1-Child product safety (Convenor – Ms Emmah Monyanga (South Africa), Secretary – Priscilla Boateng (Ghana))
Working Group 2-Food safety (Convenor -Dr. Dominic Blaise Quainoo (Ghana), Secretary – Nana Pokuaa Asare (Ghana))
Working Group 3-Household appliances (Convenor -, Secretary – )
Working Group 4-Environmental protection and eco-labelling (Convenor -Eng Charles Kalule (Uganda), Secretary – Ms. Francisca Frimpong (Ghana))
Working Group 5-Cosmetic & Cosmetology product safety (Convenor – , Secretary – Ms. Francisca Frimpong (Ghana))
Working Group 6-Medical products safety (Convenor – Mrs Dr. Heba Mohamed saad (Egypt), Secretary – Ms Dr. Mahitab Ibrahim Khalil Arafa (Egypt))
Working Group 7-Automotive parts (Convenor – Mr. Kingsley Y. Domena (Ghana), Secretary – Dr. Godwin Ayetor (Ghana))
Working Group 8-Digital &Data protection (Convenor – Rose Mpofu (Zimbabwe), Secretary – Andrew Moagi (Botswana))
Working Group 9-paints (Convenor – Unoda Chilume (Botswana), Secretary – Mr. Vincent Arthur (Ghana))
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