More efforts to ensure quality standards of products are being designed with the government considering the development of technical regulations to support the existing regulatory mechanisms.Director General, Rwanda Bureau of standards, Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, noted that government’s intervention and control to determine the technical attribute of a product or service will help Rwanda take advantage of the World Trade Organisation’s multilateral trading system. “Technical regulations and standards are interlinked and play a vital role in improving the quality of life of citizens, enhance wealth and competitiveness of any economy,” he affirmed. He was speaking at a meeting with stakeholders on development of technical regulations to support standards, yesterday. The Ministry of Trade and Industry through Rwanda Bureau of standards is currently exploring ways to implement a technical regulations regime to harmonise them with those of its trading partners.Currently, RBS has been setting up quality standards for products and services in line with international standards, but enforcement of such standards has been sluggish due to lack of regulatory mechanism.Previously, the roles of various regulatory bodies in enforcing these standards were unclear.Bagabe noted that once passed by cabinet as a ministerial order, technical regulations will help in ensuring the standards are universally complied with unlike today.Director of standards at RBS, Athanasie Mukeshiyaremye, noted that technical regulations will enhance standards to facilitate trade, protect consumers’ health and safety and prevent deceptive practices.“We want to develop technical regulations based on national standards,” she divulged.Mukeshiyaremye added that regulatory bodies such as Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority, Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, and Rwanda Housing Authority among others will be charged with putting in place the technical regulations. Acting Director of Quality control, Inspection and Standards compliance unit at the National Agricultural Export Board, Eric Ruganintwali, noted that technical regulations would be useful in export promotion and ensuring that the country’s exports meet safety requirements for the international market.
