The East African Community partner states should begin implementing standards, quality assurance, meteorology and testing (SQMT) technical regulation to boost cross-border trade, trade experts have said.

According to the experts, there is need for Partner States to align their national standardisation technical regulations in accordance with EAC SQMT Product Certification regulations of 2013.

This will ease free movement of goods and enhance cross border trade.

Peter Kiguta, director-general of customs and trade at the EAC Secretariat, said it’s critical for all partner states to harmonise their Certification Schemes on the basis of international requirements of ISO/Guide/Standard ISO 17065.

These would not only ensure confidence among certification bodies and promote recognition of the quality marks but also enhance free flow of goods across borders, Kiguta said during a meeting with Ministry of Trade and Industry experts in Kigali on Wednesday.

The regulations provide for detailed process of awarding licences to industrialists and producers by certification bodies including; conditions for application, audit process in the production methods, quality controls in the industrial processes, compliance and finally certification.

"They will provide for surveillance processes to ensure that the manufacturer continuously complies with product and systems standards,” Kiguta said.

Testing laboraties

He also asked governments to designate and equip testing laboratories that will be tasked to deal with regional trade.

These have a big role to play in conformity assessment of goods.

To enable industries to compete on the international markets and help strengthen national economies, it’s important that partner states align their national laws with EAC regional regulations, according to Willy Musinguzi, principal standards officer, East African Accreditation Board.

"We have provided a roadmap that will guide all the partner states on the matter. We are also encouraging them to sensitise the public about these laws and how they will be assessed,” Musinguzi said.

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, said government will seek legal advice on the matter.

"For this to happen, there is a legal process that must be followed, and we are going to work with our legal advisers to see how some of the laws can be domesticated. Our focal point will also work with Rwanda Standards Board on the process of designating these testing laboratories,” Kanimba told The New Times.

However, he added that the process might require expertise and equipment.

"We may have the secretariat come in to help with this expertise and also equipment needed so as to achieve its objective in a sense of global trade,” Kanimba said.

What regulations say on testing labs

According Dr Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, director-general of Rwanda Standards Board, the regulations provide for conditions and procedures for designation of laboratories based on international best practices.

These include participating in comparative testing with other laboratories, implementation of ISO/IEC: 17025, competence of salibration and testing laboratories, accreditation status, among others.

"One of the tools to evaluate if products meet the requirements of national, regional and international standards is to subject them to laboratory testing, this is important in setting company’s quality systems and competences,” Bagabe said.

"It is imperative that laboratories ensure validity and global comparability of test and calibration results. This will boost not only regional but also global trade.”