NAIROBI, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Monday launched a Pan-African accreditation scheme for locally trained professionals and domestic products to boost their global recognition.
Walter Juma Ongeti, chief executive officer of the state-owned Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS), said in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that its extended African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) ensures that product certification bodies and organizations conducting proficiency testing for professionals meet international standards.
"The MRA supports global trade by promoting international confidence and acceptance of data generated by Kenyan accredited laboratories and certification bodies," Ongeti said during celebrations to mark World Accreditation Day 2024 which is a global initiative established to promote the value of accreditation.
This year's theme, "Accreditation: Empowering Tomorrow and Shaping the Future," focuses on how accreditation can deliver confidence in new technologies, digitalization, and sustainability.
Ongeti stressed that the Pan-African accreditation scheme will enable global acceptance and confidence in services being offered by certification bodies including professional societies like the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya and Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union.
He noted that the arrangement will boost the acceptance of Kenya's products and services outside the country by removing the necessity to be reevaluated in each territory. ■
