This Website Provides a summary of some useful information made available to delegates of the 30th General Assembly of the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), scheduled for June 17th to 21st, 2024, hosted by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria in Abuja, Nigeria.
Brief on ARSO
The African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) is an intergovernmental body created by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), currently the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in 1977. The main mandate of ARSO is to harmonize African standards and regulations, as well as conformity assessment procedures. The objective of ARSO is to reduce Technical Barriers to Trade with the aim of promoting intra-African and international trade, improving the competitiveness of SMEs and accelerating the industrialization of the continent.
ARSO members are drawn from African countries through their national standards offices. ARSO currently has 43 Members: Algeria, Botswana, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, New State of Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and with Zanzibar as an Observer member.
In accordance with the statutes of ARSO, the latter is composed of several bodies: The General Assembly, the Council, the Central Secretariat and the Specialized Committees. The presidency of the organization is currently ensured by Ghana through Prof. Alexandar Dodoo, Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA)
Thus, from June 17th to 21st, 2024, the 30th General Assembly of the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), will be held in Abuja, Nigeria on the theme: Educate an African fit for the 21st Century- building a quality culture – “One market-one standard”.
The General Assembly
The General Assembly is ARSO’s highest governance body. It is a major annual event that mobilizes the main decision-makers in Africa and around the world in terms of standardization, and allows all participants to make the most of their participation, through the exchange of ideas and best practices, discuss key Pan-African Quality Infrastructure issues and build useful relationships for standardization in their respective business sectors.
Event Components
13th ARSO Champions Meeting (Half Day) on 17th June 2024
The 70th ARSO Council One and a half days (17th to 18th June 2024)
ARSO GPS and ARSO FRAC Committees meetings in two separate rooms
Wednesday, 19th June 2024 – African Day of Standardisation and the official opening of the 30th ARSO General Assembly – All Stakeholders
Thursday, 20th June 2024 – 30th ARSO General Assembly Meeting
Opening Remarks by the President and the Secretary General
Friday, 21st June 2024: Open Partnerships Forum and Industrial Visits
Made in Africa Expo (Four Days) – The Made in Africa Expo by the Nigerian Industries.
ARSO Essay Competition Awards and Recognition Ceremony