Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has called on African countries to adopt common standards and certification systems, saying differing national requirements are making it harder and more expensive for businesses to trade across the continent.
Kindiki said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has opened access to a market of 1.3 billion people with a combined economic output of US$3.4 trillion (Sh438.6 trillion), but warned that the opportunity could remain limited if countries continue operating under separate regulatory systems.
He said African nations need to move towards common standards and certification so that products approved in one country can be accepted in other markets without repeated testing, inspection and certification.
“A market of 1.3 billion people that is fragmented into fifty-four regulatory silos is not one market. It is fifty-four small ones, wearing the costume of a large one,” Kindiki said.
The Deputy President spoke on Wednesday while opening the 32nd African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) General Assembly in Mombasa.
He said separate national standards could slow the movement of goods across borders and force businesses to repeat procedures every time they enter a new market.
Kindiki said the focus should be on developing a system where standards make trade easier instead of becoming another obstacle for companies seeking to sell their products across Africa.
He said AfCFTA would only achieve its intended purpose if products that meet agreed requirements could move between countries using certificates recognised across different markets.
“This, would help fulfil the promise of AfCFTA as a functioning single market where standards open borders, certificates carry trust, and compliant African products move freely from one market to another.”
Kindiki said small and medium-sized enterprises face a heavier burden when they are required to undergo similar conformity assessments in different countries.
He pointed to cases where products tested and certified in one African country are subjected to the same process after reaching another market.
“In emphasis, a cement bag tested in Nairobi and retested in Lagos, a pharmaceutical product certified in Cairo and recertified in Accra and a solar panel inspected in Kigali and re-inspected in Dakar, is nothing but wasteful duplication,” Kindiki noted.
According to the Deputy President, such repeated procedures raise the cost of doing business and weaken the ability of African companies to compete.
“Every duplicate test is a tax on African enterprise, paid not to a treasury, but to inefficiency borne by the same small and medium enterprises this Assembly seeks to serve.”
He challenged ARSO to turn its conference theme, “One Standard — One Test — One Certificate — Accepted Everywhere”, into a working system that can support trade across the continent.
Kindiki said manufacturers should be able to test their products once and use the certification to access several African markets without having to pay for fresh assessments in each country.
“When a Namibian manufacturer tests a product once and that certificate opens doors in Kinshasa, in Lusaka, in Abidjan, and in Maseru without a second inspection, a second fee, or a second delay, that is not a technical achievement. That is African economic sovereignty, made real by one certificate.”
He cited the East African Community as an example of what can be achieved through regional cooperation and common standards.
“The lesson from the EAC is clear: what is possible among immediate neighbors is possible across Africa. The challenge before ARSO is to take this regional proof of concept and give it a continental scale,” he further elaborated.
Kindiki also announced that Kenya will host the 2028 International Organization for Standardization Annual Meeting in Nairobi.
He further said Kenya would provide land for the construction of a permanent ARSO headquarters in Nairobi, describing the move as part of the country’s contribution to strengthening standards and quality systems across Africa.
“We view this commitment as Kenya’s tangible contribution to strengthening Africa’s continental quality infrastructure. We offer ARSO a permanent home from which its vision can flourish, its operations can expand, and its influence can radiate across Africa and the globe,” he said.
Kindiki said Kenya’s own economic plans are tied to the wider progress of the continent, with the country seeking to build a stronger and more competitive economy.
“Our ambition is to transform Kenya into a high-income, globally competitive, technologically advanced and industrialized economy.”