Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is expected to preside over the official opening on Wednesday as the chief guest. KEBS Managing Director Esther Ngari/COURTESY Kenya is hosting a major continental standards summit as African countries step up efforts to remove technical barriers and make cross-border trade easier under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The 32nd General Assembly of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) and ARSO Week 2026 opens today in Mombasa, bringing together Ministers, national standards bodies, regional economic communities, industry leaders, development partners, certification bodies and technical experts.
The five-day meeting, running until Friday, is being hosted by the government through the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). The summit is being held under the theme, “Standards enabling Intra-Africa Trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)- One Certificate Working for You.” Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is expected to preside over the official opening on Wednesday as the chief guest, underscoring Kenya’s commitment to strengthening continental quality infrastructure and supporting implementation of the AfCFTA.
At the heart of the meeting is a push for harmonised standards and conformity assessment procedures that can allow products certified in one African country to access other markets with fewer hurdles. ARSO Secretary General Hermogene Nsengimana said common standards would be crucial in unlocking the continent’s trading potential.
“Standards are not mere technicalities; they are the invisible infrastructure of modern economies,” Nsengimana said. “Under the African Continental Free Trade Area, a single trusted certificate can open markets, reduce costs and empower African enterprises, especially our small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete and thrive across the continent.” The assembly is expected to seek renewed political and institutional commitment to the ARSO Quality Mark as a continental certification instrument for the AfCFTA single market.
It will also pursue concrete, time-bound commitments to advance the harmonisation of standards and conformity assessment procedures among African countries.