The 14th Africa Accreditation Cooperation AFRAC meeting kicked off in Nairobi with stakeholders calling for the borderless continent in trade activities.
Being hosted by Kenya Accreditation Service in Kenya for the second time, the first meeting was held in Nairobi in 2013 and the second time in Nairobi this year, 2023. The board members were pleased to host affiliates to the 14th conference to deliberate in-depth on ways to have a borderless trade zone within the African continent.
In his speech, the chairman, Ngeny Kibiwott, reiterated that. Accreditation is a key driver of success as it promotes quality assurance and standards for goods and services offered by the region. This assurance facilitates international trade and contributes to inclusive economic growth, acceptance, access to opportunities, and a level playing field for developing economies, enabling Africa to gain a competitive advantage and expand into global markets in quality, standard and services.
He sounded AFRAC for being a key player in the development of Accreditation in the region. Accreditation operating on mutual recognition arrangement is a growth point as the mutual evaluation and acceptance of each other’s goods and services is based on agreed standards, quality and services.
In his keynote speech, the permanent secretary for trade Dr. Jumwa Mukwana, was excited that Kenya is hosting the conference for the second time. He noted that
“We need more borderless businesses so that if you do a factory in one country, you can access a larger market within Africa for an economic sense of growth and top-quality products,”
In his speech, he said,
” As a continent, we can attain this type of development by building robust manufacturing sectors and technological advancements, allowing industrialization in all its forms to thrive. This development aligns with the vision laid out in the Africa Quality Policy, which aims to ensure environmental protection, health, and safety of the citizenry and build the competitiveness of our goods and services”.
On Kenyan GDP, the PS said,
“Our parent ministry is also focusing on increasing Exports from 10 per cent of GDP to 30 per cent by December 2025 and raising manufacturing contribution to GDP from seven to 15 per cent by 2027 and 20 per cent by 2030,”.
The PS called on African countries to dismantle borders within trade, as in Europe and the US, which are borderless in business—and urged African countries to pursue the same for a better economy.
