Afrac: Remove trade barriers to increase inter-African trade

A strong foreign investor appetite for shares continued Monday in spite of Saturday’s Westgate Mall terrorist attack. FILE 

By NEVILLE OTUKI

In Summary

• The African Accreditation Cooperation (Afrac) wants African nations to tighten ties through removal of trade barriers with an aim of creating a seamless business environment.
• Afrac is holding a six-day conference running to Thursday to seek ways to boost intra-African trade and improve the competitiveness of the continent’s commodities.

Several African nations represented by their respective accreditation bodies have gathered in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi to push for increased trade within the continent.

The African Accreditation Cooperation (Afrac) wants African nations to tighten ties through removal of trade barriers with an aim of creating a seamless business environment.

It is the first time the Afrac General Assembly meeting is being held in the country.

Afrac, which is a union of accreditation bodies, is holding a six-day conference running to Thursday to seek ways to boost intra-African trade and improve the competitiveness of the continent’s commodities.

It includes the Kenya Accreditation Service (Kenas), Egyptian Accreditation Council, Ethiopian National Accreditation Office and the Mauritius Accreditation Service. Others are Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service, South African National Accreditation System and the Tunisia Accreditation Council.

An accreditation agency requires a country’s various conformity assessment bodies (CAB) to match global standards aimed at boosting the quality of commodities and increase their competitiveness in global market.

This is achieved through regular inspection, testing and calibration to establish their testing metrics.

In Kenya, Kenas is mandated to ensure the slightly over 20 CABs currently in the country meet the required standards with the most popular one being the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs).

During the official opening of the 4th edition of the Afrac meeting on Monday in Nairobi, Industrialisation Cabinet secretary Adan Mohamed decried the low levels of African trade on the global scene.

He noted that despite Africa accounting for 10 per cent of the world’s population the continent controlled only two per cent of global trade.

The challenge, he said, was because: “Most African economies are small and provide limited national markets for local trade that can spur faster growth rates for development.”

“African countries face critical challenges in improving domestic capacity to meet production and quality standards that are required in foreign markets.”

Mr Mohamed said he was hopeful the meeting would help African nations to discuss accreditation issues targeted at achieving improved quality assurance among assessment bodies alongside ensuring better monitoring, evaluation and product testing

.

Kenas called on African nations to unite under one accreditation body for growth.

“It is only by coming together as African block that we can be competitive in global market,” Kenas chairperson Marion Mutugi said.