History made as Kenyan becomes the first African to be appointed President of International Standards Organization

Kenyan Eddy Njoroge, has been appointed to become the president of the International Standards Organization.
Njoroge will start his role as president on January 2020 on a two-term ending December 2022.
Coming at a time when, local products have been barred from accessing western markets over failure to conform to European standards his appointment is expected to go a long way in addressing the barriers.

For the first time in more than 70 years an African will be heading the International Standards Organization.

Kenyan Eddy Njoroge, has made history after he was appointed to become the president of the International Standards Organization.

Njoroge will start his role as president on January 2020 on a two-term ending December 2022. He took over from Canadian John Walter.

Kenya is arguably the world’s flower garden and annually exports tonnes of freshly cut flowers to all corners of the world, more so to Europe. Pulse Live Kenya

Also read: Kenya is staring at an export ban of cut flowers to Australia as Colombia and Ecuador go for the spoils

The appointment will see ISO’s global office established in Nairobi during Njoroge’s tenure.

Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization is a global network of the world's leading standardizers. It promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards. ISO national standards bodies is present in 164 different countries across the globe.

ISO standards reduce technical barriers to trade, lower production costs, and allow local companies to access global markets due to opportunities for economies of scale.

Why Njoroge’s appointment is a big deal

Kenyan avocado for export. (ITC) Pulse Live Kenya

Njoroge, also a board member at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), aims to facilitate access to standards for developing countries.

Coming at a time when, local products have been barred from accessing western markets over failure to conform to European standards his appointment is expected to go a long way in addressing the barriers.

Furthermore, Njoroge is committed to a four-point agenda including readressing trade imbalance, using standards to power industry growth, encouraging the use of standards in every aspect of people’s lives and enhancing the participation of developing countries in formulating standards.