REPORT OF ARSO SECRETARY GENERAL

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• REPORT OF ARSO SECRETARY GENERAL

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Preamble This report summarises ARSO
activities under the following headings 1.
ARSO-Senegal 2007 Resolutions 2. Capacity
Development African Standardisation 3. Technical
Co-operation
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• Implementation of the Resolutions of the ARSO
  Senegal 2007
• 1.1. Actions on resolutions and matters arising.
  See document 37ARSCO/2007/A5A, already discussed.
• 1.2. Strengthening ARSO Organs
• 1.2.1. ARSO President
• The ARSO Central Secretariat in line with the
  15th ARSO
• General Assembly resolutions and the provisions
  of the Revised ARSO Constitution and Rules and
  Procedure (2007) concluded the election of the
  ARSO President for the period 2007-2009.
• - Dr. Eng. Kioko Mangeli, MD KEBS was duly
  elected. See Annex VI.

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1.2.2 ARSO Project Steering Committee - The
ARSO Project Steering Committee was constituted
and members comprising the following had been
formally notified with defined responsibilities
as agreed Mr. Guillame Ligongo Maliba Dr.
Eng. Mohamoud EISA Mr. Adu G. Darkwa Mr.
Charles Malata Chirwa ARSO Secretary
General. 1.2.3 ARSO Executive Committee
(ARSEC) - ARSEC was elected by the
Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the 36th ARSO
Council, Nairobi, Kenya and comprises the
following members Vice President
Treasurer Egypt Sudan Malawi. - All
members had been duly communicated
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1.2.4. African Advisory Committee on Competitive
Tools (AACCTs) - AACCTs was constituted and
inaugurated July 2007. - AACCTs is Chaired
by Mr. Naidr Merah, Head of Trade, AU
Department of Trade and Industry, AUC, Addis
Ababa. See Annex II and III (Communications
Mechanisms for AACCTs. - The inauguration
was sponsored by Sida. 1.2.5. ARSO Technical
Management Committee (TMC) - TMC was
constituted and draft Terms of Reference prepared
for Council consideration. See Annex V and
VI. 1.2.6. ARSO Project/ Technical
Manager/Officer - Post of the Project/
Technical Manager/Officer advertised
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1.2.7 Resolution of 3rd Edition of African
Standardisation Forum (ASF-3) Dakar,
Senegal. - Standardisation Experts Work Group
was constituted to Draft African Standards
Harmonisation Model (ASHAM). - The Experts
Work Group comprised International and RECs
standardisation Experts. Draft ASHAM was
evolved May 2007, Cairo, Egypt. - The Expert
Work Group was sponsored by Sida and the host
country Egypt. See Annex I for details.
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• Capacity Development of African Standardisation
  (CADAS)
• 2.1 ARSO-SIS Technical Co-operation on
  Train-the-Trainers Training (CADAS)
• - Train-the-trainers Training topped the
  prioritized African
• Standardisation needs, Stockholm, Sweden 2006.
• - Applications were received from member
  countries, training scheduled, but was however
  postponed to a later date due to some technical
  hitches.
• 2.2. ARSO-Sida Project.
• - A four (4) year project proposal had been
  submitted, formally to Sida for sponsorship
  consideration.
• - Sida had acknowledged the submission and ARSO
  is awaiting the response

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3. Technical Co-operations. 3.1. ARSO-
RECs - Improved co-operation between ARSO and
RECs recorded, viz RECs were well
represented in the Experts Work Group that
evolved ASHAM Review of the ARSO-RECs MoU is
part of the Roundtable session during the
ASF4-2007 RECs supported the constitution of
ARSO TMC on RECs representative
basis. RECs contributed to the draft Terms of
Reference of TMC. RECs are fully
represented (2 members for each REC) in
AACCTs. 3.1.1. SADC - ARSO effectively
participated in SADCSQAM as part of the
demystification of ARSO. The participants in
the SADCSQAM and in particular SADCSTAN
appreciated the developments in ARSO especially
the evolution of the drat ASHAM and the
constitution of AACCTs chaired by AU Department
of Trade and Industry, AUC Addis Ababa.
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3.2. Continental. 3.2.1. ARSO-AU
Co-operation. - AU Department of Trade and
Industry is charring AACCTs - AUC-ARSO MoU
submitted to AU, through AUC Department of
Trade and Industry. See Annex IV. - ARSO Revised
Constitution (2007) deposited with AU. AU,
through the Legal Department acknowledged the
receipt of the revised constitution and advised
ARSO to work closely with the AU Department of
Trade and Industry. - ARSO is a member of the
Working Group for the establishment of AFRECs
Eletrotechnical Standardisation Body
(AFSEC). - Report of the 1st Extra-Ordinary
Session of CAMI Senior Officials noted by CAMI
included Support to strengthen capacities and
to implement programmes of African regional
organizations such as ARSOs African Standards
Harmonisation Model (ASHAM) and
networks/platforms such as the African
Metrology Network (AFRIMET), 24-27 September
2007. - On ASHAM the AU through its Department
of Trade and Industry, AUC Addis Ababa stated
The Department of Trade and Industry wishes to
convey appreciation for associating it with
this very commendable initiative.
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3.3 International 3.3.1 Prokarité-ARSO
Co-operation for the harmonization of African
Standards - Draft African standard on Shea
Kernel and Shea Burter developed. - The Chair
is OCC, D. R. Congo while GSB, Ghana serves as
the Secretariat 3.3.2. UNIDO-ARSO - ARSO was
part of the UNIDO organized, Tunis 2007, meeting
on Standards Compliance and Conformity
Assessment for the Development of Sustainable
Trade in Africa. - The presentation of ARSO
was on the Standards Challenges for
Africa. - The Tunis recommendations
constituted the major decisions points that
culminated into standardization featuring
prominently in the 1st Extra-Ordinary Session
of CAMI in South Africa and included in the
various reports.
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3.3.3. UNECA-ARSO - ARSO-UN Agencies in
Africa - ARSO was invited and participated
effectively in the inaugural meeting of
African based UN Agencies Cluster on Industry
Trade and Market Access (ITMA), 3-4 May 2007,
Vienna, Austria. - ARSO is now a member of the
Cluster. - Aim of the Cluster is to effective
co-ordination of UN based activities in Africa
with relevant agencies pursuant to meeting UN
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). - The
meeting was sponsored by UNECA. - The next
meeting of the Cluster is scheduled for 5-6
November 2007, prior to this UNCTAD had
scheduled the 1st Substantive meeting of ITMA on
the recommendations of the inaugural meeting on
1-2 November 2007.
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3.3.4. ARSO-UNEP ARSO is part of the Expert
Group on UNEP Co-ordinated Ecolabelling in
Africa and is likely to be a member of the Board
of African Ecolabelling Mechanism
(AEM). 3.3.5. ARSO-ISO - ARSO has MoU with ISO
and we have effectively participated in ISO
meetings where ARSO informed delegates of ASHAM
and ARSO co-ordinated standardization in Africa.
- ARSO is very appreciative to ISO for the
continued promotion of ARSO events in the ISO
publications. 3.3.6. ARSO-I.E.C - ARSO is
co-operating with IEC especially with respect to
Conformity Assessment procedures.
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3.4. Donors 3.4.1 Sida -ARSO - Improved
co-operation with Sida - In 2007 Sida
sponsored Expert Work Group that evolved
ASHAM. - Sida Also sponsored the Inaugural
meeting of AACCTs in 2007. - Sida is also
funding the yet-to be concluded ARSO-SIS
co-operation on Capacity Development of
African Standardisation. 3.4.2. PTB-ARSO - U
pgrading of the ARSO Information and
Communication Technology.
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AFRICAN ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDISATION
ARSO CENTRAL SECRETARIAT
3rd Floor, International House Mama Ngina
Street P. O. Box 57363-00200 NAIROBI, KENYA. Tel
254-020-224561/311641/311608 Fax
254-020-218792 E-mail arso_at_arso-oran.org,/info_at_ar
so-oran.org/acs_at_arso-oarn.org/ http
www.arso-oran.org