‘Made in Africa’ label to boost African trade, raise standards under AfCFTA

A new memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked by the Nairobi-based African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) and the Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC) aims to contribute to continent-wide efforts to design a ‘Made in Africa’ label and boost trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The agreement renews a working commitment between the ARSO and ITC for five years until 2028, with an updated cooperation framework reflecting developments in Africa’s regional integration efforts, underpinned by the AfCFTA. According to the African Union’s (AU) AfCFTA website, the new agreement updates this relationship to reflect a “growing global shift towards the use of sustainability standards to demonstrate commitment to good environmental, social, ethical and food safety practices”. ARSO and ITC will collaborate on the design of the ‘Made in Africa’ label, as well as a marketing strategy to ensure there is a wide adoption of it. Both organizations will also seek to promote the Eco Mark Africa eco-label, which certifies a product’s sustainability.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, ARSO Secretary General Dr Hermogene Nsengimana said the agreement will “accelerate standardization activities to increase the competitiveness of African enterprises” and “pave the way for ‘Made in Africa’ goods and services”. ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said the partnership will “support the harmonization of standards and reduce barriers to trade under the AfCFTA.” The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area, connecting 1.3 billion people across 54 countries, with combined gross domestic product valued at US$3.4 trillion.