Permanent Secretary (left) and invited guests at the celebration

Today, 20th November 2018 at Kigali Special Economic Zone, Rwanda has celebrated the World Standards Day 2018 and the Africa Industrialization Day 2018. The event brought together officials in Government institutions, Private Sector and Civil Society and was officiated by Mr Michel M. Sebera, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
In the spirit of recognizing the importance of standardization work and to pay tribute to the collaborative efforts of the thousands of experts worldwide who develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as international standards to address World challenges, the member of the International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) celebrate World Standards Day on 14th October since 1970, and Rwanda joined the rest of the world to celebrated that important Day since 2004.

RSB Director General delivering his remarks

In his remarks at the celebration of both international industry-promoting events, Mr Raymond Murenzi, the Director General of RSB emphasized the role of standards in supporting  sustainable development of industries and facilitating trade in the world:
“As we know, every year on 14th October, the whole world celebrates the efforts of many experts around the world who tackle communities’ challenges through Standardization. Without Standards, cross-border trade is not possible, mass production in industries wouldn’t be achievable and safety would be a big concern, Environment we live in today would have been a hazard to all kinds of life (Air, on Earth and under Sea). We also know that every year on 20th November, Africa the least industrialized continent on earth celebrates industrialization day.   Good news is that, Standards help to confirm that all goods and services possess the same quality irrespective of the place of manufacture, help countries to accomplish various objectives such as providing a universal technical foundation for manufacturing goods, services or systems anywhere and confirming safety and performance. In short, Standards are very important vehicle to drive socio-economic development and level the playing ground for all economic players. It’s up to us to take advantages of Standards and enter the playing ground”.
On the World Standards Day and Africa Industrialization Day’s themes of this year, Mr Murenzi noted:
“The international theme for this year’s WSD is “International Standards and the Fourth Industrial Revolution” whereas the theme for African Industrialization Day is “Promoting Regional value Chains in Africa: A pathway for accelerating Africa’s structural transformation, industrialization and pharmaceutical production”. Both themes are reminding us the long journey ahead of us of achieving sustainable industrialization of our country. Now, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is emerging, we are in it already; and much as this presents a number of challenges to us it is also an opportunity for us to catch up and this is possible with instilling standardization culture into young professional and use of fourth industrial revolution  technologies in our infant industries”.

At the celebration

At the ceremony, Mr Felicien Mutalikanwa, Chairman of Rwanda Association of Manufacturers emphasized that both days are an opportunity to reflect on industrial growth and its contribution in economic development. He stressed the Association’s commitment to the well devoted cause and reiterated that Manufacturers will tirelessly continue to contribute in promoting quality Made in Rwanda products that are able to compete at domestic, regional and international markets.

 
Mr. Michel M. Sebera, Permanent Secretary at MINICOM divering the Day’s Key remarks

In the celebration Day’s key remarks by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Michel M. Sebera hailed the progressive step being made by Rwanda’s industry in different angles and called for much more technology-backed innovations: “The Government of Rwanda is committed to building a strong economy where industries will play a key role. Policies to build a conducive, business friendly and competitive environment have been set up and we are glad that the Private Sector thoroughly contribute in their design. Everyone is proud of the development being achieved in industry sector. Even thought the journey is just at the beginning, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other Government agencies are ready to support this step forward to achieve even more in the shortest time. The Made in Rwanda Policy entails opportunities to support industrial growth and keep the development move on”.

Also, the celebration also was marked by recognizing Integrated Polytechnic Regional Colleges (IPRCs) that participated in the competition on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IPRC Musanze, IPRC Tumba, IPRC Huye and IPRC Kigali) and awarding the best winning students.

 
One of the best winners awarded

Nowadays, standards are seen as the best solutions and sustainable socio-economic development. Standards are developed in the form of documents that provide requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. The main objectives of standards are to ensure good quality of products and services, to protect health, environment and safety.

Industries, companies and other business sectors have realized the importance of standards on the quality of their products and services through standards certification, testing and metrology services. Standards have been strategic tools for industries to fast access the foreign market, create a leveled playing field for all businesses (big or small), improve the balance of trade, facilitate the compatibility and interoperability of equipment or devices, reduce costs, minimize waste and errors, exchange of goods or services, increase employment and productivity, and thus benefit the national economy as a whole.
For consumers, standards favor the development of competition in the global market, as more competing products of good quality as greater choice for consumers. Products and services have to be supplied to international standards of safety and quality in order to have value and to access the market. Therefore, this naturally leads to multiple choice of lower cost, higher quality products and services, and thus higher standards of living with greater prosperity. For Governments, standard help make sure that imported goods or services are safe and operate efficiently for the benefits of consumers and end users. Standards also support national industries to export their products to the international markets which enhance the economic growth of the country.