Uganda, through Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has been elected to the board of the African Regional Standards Organisation (ARSO).
UNBS will be part of the ARSO 12-member council/board. This was during the ARSO general assembly meeting held on 30 June, 2022 at Yaounde-Cameroon.
Prior to this elevation, Uganda has been offering leadership in ARSO as chairperson and secretary to three technical committees of horticulture, cereals & pulses and for live animals.
Uganda also chairs the ARSO Consumer Committee (COCO) and is a member of ARSO Conformity Assessment Committee (CACO).
A number of Uganda standards have also been used by ARSO as reference material for development of ARSO standards.
As a member of the council, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) said in a statement that it will use its experience and expertise in standardisation to support ARSO.
This will be in realising aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), where it desires to have One Standard for One Market through harmonisation of relevant standards to promote Intra-Africa Trade.
ARSO was formed in 1977 with the mandate of harmonising African standards, conformity assessment & procedures in order to reduce technical barriers to trade and therefore promote intra African and international trade as well as enhance the industrialisation of Africa.
