Kenyans celebrated World Accreditation Day emphasising the need to help shape industries leveraging new technologies and sustainability.

According to the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS), this move is aligned to the government’s agenda to increase manufacturing contribution to GDP from seven per cent to 20 per cent by 2030. Walter Ongeti, KENAS’ chief executive said accreditation will be pivotal in ensuring acceptability, safety and quality of the products.

He said that KENAS which acts as a “checker of checkers” assess the competence of laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies. This supports stakeholders to grow business, enhance health, safety and environmental integrity through accreditation.

Industry recognition

“We also continue urging consumers to demand for quality by seeking services or products from accredited industries that have been assessed to an industry-recognized standard,” said Ongeti. The impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) on accreditation and the conformity assessment sector is diverse ranging from artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality, digital healthcare, cyber security, smart devices, nanotechnology, robotics and cloud computing.

A Pan-African accreditation scheme for locally trained professionals and domestic products to boost their global recognition was also unveiled, extending the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) which ensures that product certification bodies and organizations conducting proficiency testing for professionals meet international standards.