ABOUT National Standards Division
About About National Standards Division
The National Standards Division (NSD) is one of four technical divisions of RSB. It is mandated to develop, maintain and disseminate information on Rwanda national standards. It is composed of three (3) units namely:
Engineering and Urban Panning (EUP) Unit;
Food, Agriculture, Chemistry, Environment and Services (FACES) Unit and;
Standards Publication, Training and Technical Assistance (SPTTA) Unit
Mr. GATERA Emmanuel
Ag. Division Manager
E-mail: emmanuel.gatera@rsb.gov.rw
Directors
Director of EUP
Mr. KANYANDEKWE Alphonse
Ag. Director, EUP Unit
E-mail: alphonse.kanyandekwe@rsb.gov.rw
Director of FACES
Mr. NDAHIMANA Jerome
Ag. Director,
E-mail: jerome.ndahimana@rsb.gov.rw
Director of SPTTA
Mrs. KANYANGE Marlene
Director, SPTTA Unit
E-mail: marlene.kanyange@rsb.gov.rw
A standard is a document, established by consensus and approved by a competent organ that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. National standards are standards approved by RSB, under Law N° 50/2013 of 28/06/2013.
Since 2002, more than 3,000 standards have been approved as Rwanda National Standards. Figure 1 shows the distribution of national standards in different areas where engineering accounts for about 60% of the approved national standards followed by food and agriculture with about 25% and, water and environment with 12%.
Figure 1: Distribution of national standards in different areas as of May 2022
Standards have become such integral components of our economic, social and legal systems that they are frequently taken for granted and their crucial role in a modern society is often not recognized. The RSB Standards Division has unconquerable experience in its core function, namely, the development of national standards and maximizing the benefits of international standards through adoptions, which enhances the competitiveness of the Rwandan industry and advances international trade.
In Rwanda our standards enhance competitiveness and provide the basis for consumer protection, health and safety.
1. Benefits to consumers:
Standards ensure that consumers are protected from hazards to their health and safety.
Standards promote and protect economic interests of consumers.
Standards ensure that consumers have easier access to and greater choice in goods and services.
Standards ensure improved quality and reliability.
Standards ensure better operation and compatibility between products and services.
Standards ensure the availability of effective consumer redress.
2. Benefits to SMEs:
Standards lower installation and start-up costs
Standards inspire added trust in your business
Standards assist business to meet mandatory regulations
Standards ensure improved quality and reliability
Standards create a competitive advantage by improving the quality of your goods and services
Standards open new markets by assuring new customers that you meet their quality requirements
Standards attract new customers
Standards reduce cost in the way you do business
3. Benefits to government:
Standards benefit the Rwandan Government by complementing regulations and promoting international trade
Standards reduce technical barriers to international trade, thus positioning Rwanda industries to compete in the world economy
Standards are used to regulate and monitor industry so as to prevent adverse business practices
Standards help make laws consistent
Standards offer an alternative to regulation, with less red tape and business costs, while still ensuring that products and services are safe and healthy
5.1. International and regional standards
International Standards reflect agreements on the technical description of the characteristics to be fulfilled by the product, system, service or object in question. They are widely adopted at the regional or national level and are applied by manufacturers, trade organizations, purchasers, consumers, testing laboratories, governments, regulators and other interested parties.
Since International Standards generally reflect the best experience of industry, researchers, consumers and regulators worldwide, and cover common needs in a variety of countries, they constitute one of the important bases for the removal of technical barriers to trade as recommended by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in its agreement on Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT).
5.2. Benefits of international standards
International Standards bring technological, economic and societal benefits. They help to harmonize technical specifications of products and services making industry more efficient and breaking down barriers to international trade. Conformity to international standards helps reassure consumers that products are safe, efficient and good for the environment.
For more information, click the link below:
www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/benefitsofstandards.htm
5.3. Cooperation
Rwanda Standards Board participates in regional and international standardization activities by taking part into standards setting and standards harmonization at regional and international levels. Participating into regional and international standardization activities has significant advantages to Rwanda, such as:
Representing Rwanda into regional and international standardization activities
Removing barriers to regional and international trade
Influencing regional and international standards development process
Creating regional and international pathways and markets
Avoiding the waste of resource or “reinventing the wheel”
Improving doing business
Transferring and acquiring state-of-the-art technological know-how
Safeguarding public health and safety by establishing a base of requirements for application to local or imported products in regulated areas
At regional level, Rwanda Standards Board has cooperation with the following organizations:
EAC: the East African Community (http://www.eac-quality.net/)
COMESA: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (http://www.comesa.int/)
ARSO: African Organization for Standardization (http://www.arso-oran.org/)
AFSEC: The African Electrotechnical Standardization Commission (http://www.afsec-africa.org/)
SADC: Southern African Development Community (http://www.sadc.int/)
Northern Corridor (http://www.nciprojects.org/)
At international level, Rwanda Standards Board has cooperation with the following organizations:
5.4.3 National Standards Bodies
Rwanda Standards Board has entered into cooperation with other national standards bodies (NSBs)
UNBS-Uganda National Bureau of Standards (www.unbs.go.ug)
KEBS-Kenya Bureau of Standards (www.kebs.org)
BBN- Burundi Bureau of Standards (bbn-burundi.org)
TBS- Tanzania Bureau of Standards (www.tbs.go.tz)
SABS-South Africa Bureau of Standards (https://www.sabs.co.za)
BIS-Bureau of Indian Standards (www.bis.org.in)
SIS-Swedish Standards Institute (www.sis.se/en)
BSI- British Standards Institution (www.bsigroup.com)
PTB- National Metrology Institute of the Federal Republic of Germany (http://www.ptb.de/cms/en.html)
DIN- German institute for standardization (www.din.de/en)
KATS-Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (http://www.kats.go.kr/en)
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