Ethiopian Standards Institute disclosed that it had approved 1,035 standards which were said to have significant impact on economic development, trade facilitation, and environmental protection. The 1,035 standards are composed of 200 new, 203 revised, and 634 reaffirmed standards.
The standards were approved for textile and leather, chemical and chemical products, food and agricultural products, construction and civil engineering, electromechanical, and public health sectors taking international matters into consideration. Accordingly, 28 new, 25 revised, and 169 reaffirmed standards were approved for the textile and leather sector while the chemical and chemical products sector saw an approval of 28 new, 69 revised, and 59 reaffirmed standards. Moreover, 17 new, 26 revised, and 94 reaffirmed standards were ratified for the food and agricultural products sector. On the other hand, 30 new, 61 revised, and 236 reaffirmed standards were endorsed for the construction and civil engineering sector.
The approved standards include 32 mandatory standards which are set under construction, oil and soft drink, electromechanical, and health and environmental safety categories. The mandatory standards are:
a) under the construction category – 1 revised concrete block standard;
b) under the food and agricultural products category – 2 standards for edible oil and 1 standard for soft drink;
c) under the environmental and health safety category – 27 standards; and
d) under the electromechanical category – 1 standard for electric cables with a capacity of more than 350KV.
The new standards are also expected to help enhance the capacity of the manufacturing sector and protect the rights of consumers.