Promotion of standards key to Africa’s industrialisation drive – Prof. Alex Dodoo

President of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Professor Alex Dodoo has called on ARSO member countries to seize the opportunities embedded in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to industrialise the continent and position it as a global manufacturing hub.

He intimated that with present economic uncertainties across the globe, the world is looking up to Africa due to its abundant natural resources, which must be processed into value-added products in accordance with accepted standards.

Speaking at the 67th ARSO Council Meetings at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Professor Alex Dodoo explained that the promotion of standards will significantly improve Africa’s industrialisation drive and help the continent generate the needed revenue to support development.

“Africa’s time has arrived, and it is apt that the African Renaissance in trade and industrialisation is being rekindled in Addis Ababa with standardisation the key tool for industrial transformation and accelerated trade”.

Prof. Dodoo who is also the Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority urged ARSO members to take support efforts aimed at implementing under trade the pact.

He however cautioned the member countries of ARSO not to use standards as a punitive tool against industry but rather as an enabler that drives trade and ensures sustainability.

Standards, he explained, were critically important tools for trade and therefore requires Africa to use them to unite the continent instead of restricting trade across the continent.

“As I have said repeatedly, once tariff barriers are removed between countries, non-tariff barriers become prominent and we at ARSO must work with our governments to eliminate these non-tariff barriers because standards should not be stumbling blocks for intra-Africa trade.

“Remember, where there are no standards, there is no trade. where there is no trade there is no economy. And where there is no economy there are no jobs,” he said.

Prof. Dodoo further outlined some key milestones that must be achieved to ensure the quick realisation of the continent's industrial development.

“Africa must and will industrialise starting now,” he stated.

He was optimistic that Africa’s industrialisation drive would be sustainable due to the continent’s ability to learn positive and negatives from other geographies.

“Africa’s industrialisation and rapid growth will be inclusive since it is our females, our mothers and sisters and daughters who will lead this industrialisation and since no one will be left behind because in Africa, the concept of the family is each for all and all for God and Allah, so together, we shall industrialise,” he said.

He continued, “We will pay attention to females, the youth, the vulnerable and to marginalised groups. We will listen to them and work with them to drive industrialisation across Africa. Already, most SMEs in Africa are female-led and they are transforming our economies. All we need to do is to support their scale-up and expansion across the continent”.

Touching on efforts to position the continent’s trading community on the path of rapid growth, Prof. Dodoo said there was a need to put in place some measures and score some significant policy goals.

He indicated the need to have a harmonised regulatory framework and adoption of African Standards to address TBTs in Africa for increased Intra-African Trade and capacity building and standardisation education and support to SMEs, standardisation experts, consumers and the youth.

He said it was also important to facilitate partnerships and collaborative efforts with the Africa Union, AfCFTA Secretariat, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Afreximbank, AfDB, private sectors, donors and facilitate the formulation of the African Union Regulatory Directives, Summit decisions and legislations that promote Quality Infrastructure and Common Regulatory Framework.

Prof. Dodoo said it was also critical to ensure the promotion of Mutual Recognition Arrangements, which currently has been initiated by ARSO and is being championed by Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while also focusing on universal membership of ARSO by all African countries.

The 67th ARSO Council Meetings was held on November 29, 2022 at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia where a high-powered assembly of leaders of the continent's standards community gathered.

The meeting, which opened on November 27, is expected to officially close on December 2, this year.

It is the first meeting chaired by Prof. Alex Dodoo since he was officially sworn into office as ARSO President in June this year at the ARSO General Assembly held in Cameroon.