Draft National Quality Standard Under Discussion

Addis Ababa February 17 /2022 (ENA)Stakeholders from the business community have been discussing a draft National Quality Standard prepared by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration.

Speaking at the opening of the one-day meeting, Trade and Regional Integration State Minister Endalew Mekonen said the government has been facilitating trade agreements in a bid to enable manufacturers and service providers to expand their market access globally.

However,  it is becoming increasingly difficult to access international markets due to lack of a comprehensive national quality standard, adequate awareness on quality issues and absence of national quality infrastructures, he added.

According to him, Ethiopian manufacturers continue to face challenges in meeting stringent quality standards abroad mainly due to limited laboratory infrastructure, outdated registration, lack of awareness of standards, certificate and accreditation issues, he said.

It is therefore necessary to implement the national quality infrastructure program and make competitive products and services accessible worldwide, the state minister noted.

The ministry is working to create global welcoming quality infrastructure and ensure that the quality infrastructure institutions in the country are being filled with qualified human resources and necessary infrastructure.

The finalization and ratification of the National Quality Standard is expected to significantly improve quality standard awareness and implementation.