Rwanda’s capital, Kigali is hosting a meeting of the African standards authorities seeking to harmonize new benchmarks for textile, leather products and accessories in a bid to boost intra-African trade and increase consumption of locally made goods.
The African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) Technical Committee (TC 53) on textiles and textile products and accessories kicked off on Tuesday and will run from March 3–6, 2026.
Experts are discussing ways to align standards in a sector that significantly contributes to Africa’s economic growth through employment, trade and industrialization.
Africa’s textile market is projected to grow from USD 39.21 billion in 2025 to USD 49.41 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 4.7 percent.
The meeting, which has brought together representatives from 15 countries including Rwanda, will focus on finalizing deliberations on 26 African standards for textile, leather and related products.
These standards are expected to boost trade and drive economic growth in one of the priority sectors identified by African countries to spur development and support implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The 26 new standards will add to the existing 2,440 harmonized standards that already cover 25 percent of AfCFTA tariff lines at the continental level.
The initiative is being implemented under the African Conformity Assessment Programme (ACAP), which aims to facilitate the movement of certified products across Africa and strengthen intra-African trade under the AfCFTA framework.
ARSO Secretary General Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana said the harmonized standards will reduce the extra costs incurred by businesses seeking multiple certifications, which often limit their ability to access markets across the continent.
“With one single standard, textile and leather businesses will be able to sell their products in all 54 African countries. This will also increase intra-African trade and enhance enterprises’ capacity to expand their market reach,” Nsengimana said.
He added that the harmonization process will be followed by the signing of mutual recognition agreements between countries to ensure that certificates issued under the new standards are accepted across borders.
Under ARSO’s coordination, Rwanda is among six countries piloting Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) aimed at achieving the “One Standard, One Test, One Certificate Accepted Everywhere” vision. The initiative seeks to fast-track AfCFTA implementation and promote South-South cooperation by easing cross-border trade.
At the close of the Kigali meeting, this Friday, Rwanda is expected to sign Mutual Recognition Agreements with the Republic of Congo and the Republic of Zimbabwe to enhance collaboration in standardization, metrology and mutual recognition of conformity assessment results, thereby unlocking trade among the signatory states.
To support the process, Nsengimana said ARSO is assisting textile and leather companies across Africa to comply with continental standards, offering up to 100 percent support for certification.
At the continental level, ARSO notes that Rwanda is emerging as a key player in the textile industry, alongside countries such as Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, with several companies already taking advantage of certification support.
Rwanda in the ARSO Limelight:
Although Rwanda has not yet completed the textile certification process, the Kigali meeting will conclude with a certification ceremony for 32 Rwandan small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) covering 72 products.
These include food products derived from sorghum, wheat, maize, potatoes, rice and honey, supported by ARSO and the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) in implementing harmonized African standards in the agriculture and food sector.
Nsengimana said these food and agro-processing companies are the first of their kind to receive continental certification, attributing the milestone to Rwanda’s strong implementation of ARSO standards.
“We are not stopping at textiles and food. We plan to support countries in
