Programme for standards transparency champions concludes in Nairobi

The six-month programme, developed to enhance the implementation of standards and to highlight the benefits of regulatory transparency, began in October with a workshop in Geneva, where the participants developed action plans. Over the past six months, the group participated regularly in virtual sessions, taking part in information sharing and mentor support to develop and implement their action plans.

Through a variety of training approaches, the participants gained comprehensive skills in applying the transparency provisions of the TBT Agreement, both in their own countries and at the regional level. As a result of the programme, they have established a strong network where participants can support each other in their daily work.

In Nairobi, the participants shared their experiences in implementing their action plans. Mentors and experts from Australia, Uganda and the United States as well as the African Organisation for Standardisation and the WTO Secretariat were present to provide advice.). A common element in all the action plans was making effective use of the ePing platform to improve working practices regarding enquiry points and to engage better with private sector stakeholders.

At the opening session, Rueben Gisore, Technical Director at the African Organisation for Standardisation, highlighted how transparency is key to benefitting from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He said: “Without transparency, our continent cannot be as great as we aspire to be.”

Geoffrey Odero, representing the Kenyan delegation, said that the knowledge, skills and experiences gained in the workshop in Nairobi would help the region and continent reach new heights in establishing transparent, predictable and open trade for the benefit of traders and the global business community. He encouraged the participants to use the programme not only to develop their capacity but also to share experiences and resolve challenges in creating more transparent, predictable and open trade across borders.

Esther Ngari, Director of Standards Development and Trade at the Kenya Bureau of Standards emphasised the importance of African countries’ participation in the TBT Committee meetings. She underscored the need to strengthen the outcome of deliberations at the TBT Committee regarding specific trade concerns (STCs), noting that one of the ways of doing so is to have transparency champions across the globe.

On 27 April, the African Organisation for Standardisation organized a roundtable on the latest developments in standards in Africa.

Oyebode Agbola, a TBT Enquiry Point in Nigeria, said: “The TBT Transparency Champions Programme has been an enlightening experience and highly beneficial in shedding light on the need to improve on Nigeria’s commitment to the TBT Agreement.” He added that the highlight of the course is the ePing training, which is of immense importance to the work of National Enquiry Points and/or National Notification Authorities as the platform helps to ease the burden of communication and to meet obligations to the WTO.

Oyebode Agbola from Nigeria

The mentors said: “We feel very privileged to have participated in the regional programme in Nairobi. We welcome the opportunity to share our expertise and rich experiences from the United States, Australia and Uganda in improving transparency, and to guide participants in the development of their action plans. We are excited to witness the active engagement and synergies between participants and to take note of the progress in actions taken by the champions to implement transparency.

Anne Ganne (Australia), MaryAnn Hogan (US) and George Opiyo (Uganda)

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