By Jimoh Babatunde & Naomi Uzor

The President of the African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO), Dr. Joseph I. Odumodu, has disclosed that the current global activities in trade indicate that no country or continent can advance industrially, economically and socially, without the culture of quality and standards. Speaking at the lunch of the convention logo for the forth coming ARSO President’s Forum to be held in Abuja, Odumodu said that ARSO is seeking to integrate the whole of Africa through Standardisation in order to empower the continent to look within its self for sustenance.

While noting that trading together by African countries will make it easy to fight those who make the continent a dumping ground for sub-standard goods, Odumodu said Africa can not trade among one another without harmonised standard.

“Standardisation is capable of breaking borders and barriers inhibiting trade and development. The Giant strides being recorded by some countries, and Regional Economic Blocks in exports to other continents are noted and laudable but could be better without the current intra-continental barriers which have continued to remain stumbling blocks even with neighbours.”

He added “ the current global activities in trade indicate that no country or continent can advance industrially, economically and socially, without the culture of quality and standards.”

Dr. Odumodu , who is the Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria(SON), said the forthcoming forum is to show the world the readiness of African standardisers to strengthen the continental integration by breaking inhibiting economic barriers through standardisation to enhance Industrial and economic empowerment. “Hosting the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of National Standards Bodies (NSBs) in Africa, through the ARSO President’s Forum calls for celebration, as a milestone in the history of ARSO in particular and Africa in general, as its outcome will fulfill the dreams of the founding fathers.