Developing countries undergo assessment on advancing quality standards

{Leaders of standards regulation institutions from 20 African countries using English language yesterday started a three day meeting aimed at seeking how developing countries can align with developed countries in the implementation of regulation of standards}.

The meeting was organized by International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The director of Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), Dr Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe who attended the meeting said that developed countries dominate developing countries in the implementation of standards quality while standardization is set globally.

“Most of the time developed countries have experienced experts beyond ours to the extent that they keep in line of particular regulation standard. They also exceed our capacities in wealth and politics. They have a large number of representatives when voting for a particular regulation while we sent a small number of representatives which continues to foster their dominance,” he said.

He said that African countries are not at the same level in the ISO since some of them are not full ISO members while regulation of standards have not yet been integrated.

Bagabe explained that the meeting will be an opportunity to evaluate how regulation of standards can be integrated among African countries based on budget plan of every country’s an effort to facilitate trade and compete with developed countries.

“We want to build capacities of our employees so that they can match the budget plan with other countries. This will tackle the act of stopping particular merchandise transported to another country and reduce weaknesses we had,”he said.

An employee of ISO, Weissinger, said that standard has a great value in the development of the nation but noted that the implementation of standards must be in accordance with the interest of the country like commerce, citizens’ welfare, health, security and environment protection among others.

The meeting is being held on themes regarding the standardization budget plan for the upcoming five years agreed by ISO country members.