PTB

ARSO PTB Capacity Development Programmes

The need for awareness of standards, regulations and technical regulations interplay in economies and the need for standards-regulations convergence, through harmonisation, for improved market access in Africa led PTB, Germany and ARSO to organise PTB sponsored Training and Awareness Creation workshops on the “Interplay of Technical Regulations and Standards”.

Technical regulation: document which lays down product characteristics (shape, labeling, design, performance etc.) or their related processes and production methods with which compliance is mandatory

  • Status: The application of technical regulations is mandatory /compulsory
  • Responsibility: Ministries, regulatory authorities
  • Motivation and purpose: Protect citizens and the environment; market failure

Standard: document approved by a recognized body that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods with which compliance is voluntary.

  • Status: Voluntary application
  • Responsibility: Recognized standards organizations
  • Motivation and purpose: demand by economic operators and other interested parties

Conformity assessment procedure: any procedure used, directly or indirectly, to determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled (e.g. testing, inspection, verification, registration, accreditation.

Elimination of Technical Barriers to Trade thus requires a Coherent system of harmonised technical regulations, recognised standards for reference and conformity assessment procedures.

Started in 2008, the workshops so far have been hosted in seven (7) selected ARSO Member States, namely:

  1. Egypt, hosted by Egyptian Orgnaisation for Standardisation and Quality 15th – 19th December 2008
  2. Gabon, hosted by Agence De Normalisation Et De Transfert De Technologies (ANTT), 29th –30th September 2008
  3. Ghana, hosted by Ghana Standards Board 6th – 7th October 2008
  4. Kenya, Hosted by Kenya Bureau of Standards 25th – 26th January 2011,
  5. Namibia, hosted by Namibia Bureau of Standards, 28th – 29th November 2011
  6. Nigeria, hosted by Standards Organisation of Nigeria 28th – 29th March 2011
  7. Tanzania, hosted by Tanzania Bureau of Standards 20th – 21st January 2011