African manufacturers usually complain about lack of markets and low trade with the outside world. The focus is on having other countries open up their markets, but how much effort are local manufacturers making to enhance product quality and certification?

Product certification guarantees safety and standards, which boost marketability and competitiveness of the goods and services across markets. This should be the focus of the local manufacturers because standards drive industrial and other forms of development in any given country, helping spur trade and socio-economic advancement.

Therefore, efforts by national standards boards from 20 African countries to push a common strategy on standards across the continent are a good intervention.

This is also timely as the continent prepares to witness the biggest free trade zone next year. Three trade blocs, the Southern African Development Community, the East African Community, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, agreed mid-last year to form a single new trade zone in 2017.

The initiative is expected to increase intra-Africa trade from 12 per cent presently to 30 per cent when it is launched. However, countries can only benefit from such initiatives if their industrial and services sectors offer products that meet standards. So, promoting a five-year strategy on uniform standards and trade guidelines will play a key role in easing movement of goods and services, and improving trade across the continent.

Back home, the new development challenges private sector players who still believe that product/service certification is a waste of money to rethink the stand to increase their market share and profitability.

Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) should carry out more campaigns to sensitise stakeholders on the benefits of standards and certification of goods and services. However, the standards agency needs support from all stakeholders, particularly the private sector.