Kenya offers land for permanent ARSO headquarters in Nairobi

Kenya has offered land in Nairobi for the construction of a permanent headquarters for the African Organisation for Standardisation, ARSO, in a move aimed at strengthening Africa’s quality infrastructure and boosting intra-African trade Deputy President Professor Kithure Kindiki says the government will provide land for a purpose-built ARSO headquarters, giving the continental body a permanent home and strengthening its role in coordinating standardisation across Africa. Speaking in Mombasa during the opening of the 32nd ARSO General Assembly, Kindiki also backed the establishment of a common African certification system that would allow products tested and certified in one country to access other African markets without undergoing repeated testing and certification. They are now calling for the adoption of a “one standard, one test, one certificate” approach to reduce technical barriers, lower the cost of doing business and facilitate seamless intra-African trade.