Opening remarks of the ARSO President at the 52nd ARSO Council Meeting, 10-11 August 2015, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme “The role of Standards in promoting sustainable Agriculture and food security in Africa”

I am delighted to be here today for the 52nd ARSO Council coming soon after the successful 51st Council Meeting held in Harare Zimbabwe.

Ethiopia occupies a central position in the history of Mankind and for the Destiny of African. Ethiopia, the cradle of civilization, is a country with a long and storied history and the home of unparalleled natural beauty. Ethiopia has a proud history which can be traced to the beginnings of mankind. Among the most remarkable evidence of Ethiopia’s status as the cradle of civilization was the discovery of “Lucy,” a female hominid whose 3.2 million year-old skeleton was found in 1974 near the Awash River at Hadar.

Besides being the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is also referred to as the capital city of Africa, It being the home to such prominent headquarters as the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. When we come to the lively city of Addis Ababa, it is not only the essence of Ethiopia that we will be able to capture but also the spirit of AFRICA, embedded in the Pan African drive for self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity.

It is on the note that I welcome you all to this 52nd Session of the ARSO Council being hosted by the Government of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia here at the African Union Commission Headquarters, courtesy of the Department of Trade and and Industry.

The administrative function of the Council, in accordance with the laid down policies, is without a doubt essential to the success of ARSO and its activities.

On this note I would like to commend and thank the current Council members for their efforts made towards the attainment of the ARSO Mission and Vision through development and adopting the programmes and activities with regard to standards development and harmonisation to further the African Integration Agenda.

It is evident that with the increasing movement towards globalisation, the economic trends and patterns are also experiencing dynamic shifts. Africa has not been an exception since Intra-African and Inter-African trade has evolved greatly over time. Trade has had a significant impact on the political, economic and socio cultural development of African countries through generation of revenues, creation of larger markets, reduction of production costs, improved productivity and reduction of poverty inter alia. Trade has a particular edge as an economic activity due to its timeless nature as there is no state that can produce everything it and its citizens need within its own boundaries.

Realisation of optimal benefits of trade is highly dependent on putting mechanisms in place that govern the activities and ensure that no party has an undue advantage over the other. This forms the basis for the rationale behind the standardisation process. Through the active participation of nation states in standardisation actives through the use and implementation of standards, technical barriers to trade are eliminated and equal opportunities are created for all businesses and trading partners.

In this respect, the role of ARSO in development and harmonisation of standards in partnership with National Standards Bodies (NSBs) and other stakeholders is of immense relevance not only for the purpose of increasing trade levels but also for economic growth and the ultimate improvement of living standards for African citizens.

As you are all aware, the adoption of initiatives proposed by the Central Secretariat by the Council under the ARSO Strategic Framework 2012-2017 is crucial to the overall success of ARSO as an organisation. Such include, in the recent past the African Day of Standardisation Initiative under respective themes based on the African Priorities and as guided by the AU, Standardisation Essay Competition, ARSO Training and Capacity Building Programmes, the establishment of ARSO COCO and CACO progeammes, revival of the ARSO DISNET, the ARSO Standards Education Programme, The ARSO President Forum and the Made in Africa Exhibitions.

The ARSO Council members have taken the responsibility to go an Extra mile in various ARSO Council Committees which have specific Terms of Reference. Within the Strategic and Oversight Committees the Council members have truly and with dedication offered guidance and advice that have propelled ARSO further after the re-engineering of the Organisation.

The Committees contribute greatly to the success of ARSO through their concerted efforts in accomplishing their roles and responsibilities as delegated to them in line with the rules and regulations that govern ARSO.

The Establishment of the Free Continental Trade Area (CFTA) and deeper Continental integration and the vison 2063 are becoming. We must not lose sight of the role of ARSO in all these set blueprints for Africa and should therefore ever remain focused to deliver the mandate of ARSO in all these initiatives to revolutionise Africa’s position not only in the trade arena but in the global community as well.

Through the resolutions made herein and subsequent cooperation and support of ARSO activities we will be able to not only achieve our mandate but we will also have determined the path to Africa’s destiny and left a legacy for future generations to build upon and propel ARSO to greater heights and beyond vision 2017 and vision 2063.

I wish you fruitful deliberations and success in our endeavours.

Thank you.