Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

Braunschweig und Berlin

INTERNATIONAL
National Metrology Institute COOPERATION

RWANDA
Quality Infrastructure Assessment Report
of Rwanda
June 2020
 

On behalf of the Federal Government of Germany, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt promotes the
improvement of the framework conditions for economic, social and environmentally friendly action and thus
supports the development of quality infrastructure.

1
CONTENTS

Executive Summary 5

1.
Introduction
1.1. Rwanda’s Trade and Economic Environment
7
7
1.1.1. Background 7
1.1.2. Rwanda’s GDP Growth and Sector Contributions 2017–2019 7
1.1.3. Rwanda’s Trade Liberalization and Robust Projects 8
1.1.4. Rwanda’s Trade Balance 1995–2017 9
1.1.5. Rwanda’s Export Portfolio 9
1.2. The Need for a National Quality Infrastructure 11

2. Objective and Methodology 12

3.
Overview of Rwanda’s QI Situation
3.1. General Context
14
14
3.2. Rwanda’s QI Policy and Legal Framework 15
3.3. Rwanda’s Institutional QI Framework 15
3.3.1. Rwanda’s QI Timelines and Staffing 16
3.3.2. The Rwanda Standards Board 16
3.3.3. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority 17
3.3.4. The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection 17
Authority
3.3.5. The Accreditation Focal Point in the Ministry of Trade and Industry 18
3.3.6. Designated Public and Private Testing Laboratories 18

4.
Findings
4.1. QI Key Common Areas of Interest
20
20
4.1.1. The Rwanda Quality Policy 20
4.1.2. The Legal Framework of QI 21
4.1.3. Institutional Autonomy 21
4.1.4. Inter- and Intrainstitutional Coordination 22
4.1.5. Institutional Capacity Building 22
4.1.6. International Recognition of QI Institutions 23
4.1.7. Promoting the Culture of Standardi­zation in Rwanda 24
4.2. Findings Particular to Individual QI Institutions 25
4.2.1. Accreditation 25
4.2.2. Standards 26
4.2.3. Testing 27
4.2.4. Metrology 28
4.2.5. Legal Metrology 30
4.2.6. Inspection 31
4.2.7. System Certification 32
4.2.8. Product Certification 34
4.2.9. Technical Regulations 35

2
 CONTENTS

5. Recommendations 37

6. Annex – RDT Data Tables
6.1. Accreditation
41
41
6.2. Standards 42
6.3. Testing 43
6.4. Metrology 44
6.5. Legal Metrology 45
6.6. Inspection 46
6.7. System Certification 47
6.8. Product Certification 48
6.9. Technical Regulations 49

References 50
Abbreviations and Acronyms 52
Notes 54
Imprint 56

3


The Rapid Diagnostic Tool was jointly developed by the World Bank Group and PTB.

4
 E x ec u ti v e S u mmar y

Executive Summary
A good quality infrastructure (QI) is of immense value established and deals with inspection, and the Rwanda
to a country looking to exploit the advantages brought Food and Drugs Authority (RFDA) that is in charge of reg-
about by globalization and trade liberalization. General- ulating processed foods and drugs.
ly, the following scheme can be observed: globalization
leads to free trade agreements, free trade agreements While Rwanda’s QI environment is sound, if it is to sup-
facilitate globalized supply chains, supply chains require port the above-mentioned projects to the desired degree,
harmonized standards, standards require correct mea- there is a need to further boost the institutions’ financial,
surements, measurements assure reliable tests, tests are management and operational capacities. Boosting these
the basis for product certification, certifiers and labora- capacities requires an assessment to clearly understand
tories should be accredited, accreditation equals tech- where the gaps that need to be addressed lie. Using this
nical competencies, competence must be demonstrated information, it is possible to propose strategies to remove
by global evaluations and global evaluations end up in the identified gaps.
globalized products.
Therefore, the National Metrology Institute of Germa-
Rwanda has been a member of the World Trade Orga- ny, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB),
nization (WTO) since 1995 and has joined regional eco- contracted a consultant to conduct the assessment of
nomic communities including the East African Commu- Rwanda’s institutional QI set-up and performance in
nity (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern nine QI categories (standards, accreditation, metrology,
Africa (COMESA) and La Communauté Economique des legal metrology, regulation, inspection, testing, product
Pays des Grand Lacs (Economic Community of the Great certification and system certification) using the QI Rapid
Lakes Countries – CEPGL). It is very much looking to in- Diagnostic Tool (RDT). This tool specifically focuses on
crease its trade with these regional economic communi- four pillars:
ties and the world. In order for Rwanda to achieve that, it
has set up its quality infrastructure to help ensure that its 1) legal and institutional framework,
products and services are not only locally competitive but 2) administration and infrastructure,
can also gain access to regional and international markets 3) service delivery and technical competency and
with ease. 4) external relations and recognition.

Rwanda has embarked on major projects that rely heavily This document is a report of the assessment. The report
on a developed quality infrastructure which is capable of describes Rwanda’s trade environment and the structure,
meeting private and public market needs. These projects policy, legal and operational status of the country’s qual-
include building export processing zones to boost the ex- ity infrastructure institutions. It includes findings and a
port sector, developing a robust and IT-based health care recommendations paper which suggests actions to close
system and Rwanda’s recent ambitious 11-billion dollar the identified gaps. The recommendations are aimed at
10-year climate action plan, aimed at reducing the coun- improving Rwanda’s QI and mainly focus on two aspects:
try’s carbon emissions and adapting to climate change, issues that are common in all QI institutions and the spe-
which was submitted to the United Nations (UN). cific issues of each QI institution.

Rwanda’s current quality infrastructure mainly consist Rwanda has a very elaborate Quality Policy (QP) that
of three institutions: the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) clearly sets out the institutional structure, coordination
which started operations in 2003 and is in charge of stan- and operational framework. However, its implementation
dards, metrology, legal metrology, product and systems is very low. The policy, which was developed in 2018, is
certification, the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and mostly based on a review of an earlier QP from 2010. The
Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) that has just been former policy, however, lacked a detailed and appropriate

5
E x ec u ti v e S u mmar y

strategic plan to implement it. Rwanda needs to develop The liberalization of non-regulatory functions by hand-
a strategic plan to implement the QP recommendations. ing over areas like testing, calibration, certification and,
to some extent, inspection to private bodies is yet to be
Although there have been efforts to define clear man- carried out despite the clear gaps which were identified.
dates and operational scopes as well as to separate regu- These stem from the public bodies’ lack of capacity to
latory from non-regulatory functions, in some areas like tackle all QI areas. This report recommends designating
testing and inspection, separation is not explicit and du- both local and foreign private bodies to assist in covering
plication leading to a waste of resources is likely to occur. the gaps that were found in testing, calibration and certi-
It is recommended that legal metrology inspections be fication as well as in some inspection activities.
transferred to RICA and the issue of who is tasked with
testing – especially in the case of foods – be resolved. Finally, there are evident capacity building issues in the
Also, institutions which are responsible for inspections RSB and RFDA, especially regarding auditors, assessors,
should harmonize their inspection efforts and market lead auditors, lead assessors, trainers and technicians. An
surveillance plans and activities. elaborate capacity building strategy and plan for both the
RSB and RFDA are needed and resources need to be com-
Operational deficiencies like limited accreditation, test- mitted to implement them. The RSB should train, register
ing, metrology and certification scopes were also iden- and maintain the registration of auditors and assessors.
tified. This report recommends increasing the scope and Furthermore, efforts should be made for the RSB, the
number of accreditations in these areas. In addition, RFDA and later RICA to team up with more competent
memberships in international organizations as well as peer bodies so as to assist in training and capacity build-
participation in setting international standards should be ing.
increased.

© iStock

6
 1 . I ntrod u ction

1. Introduction
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusam-
menarbeit (German Society for International Coopera-
1.1. Rwanda’s Trade and Economic Environment

tion, short GIZ) and PTB are currently implementing a

project called Alliance for Product Quality in several Afri-
can countries. These countries include Morocco, Tunisia,
Egypt, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ethiopia and, most
1.1.1. Background

importantly for this report, Rwanda. After the Rwandan Civil War and genocide of the Tutsis
ended, Rwanda miraculously experienced socio-eco-
The overall objective of the project is to increase the nomic recovery and growth that started to be reflected in
quality of products and services of small and medium statistics in the year 2008. The figures from the National
enterprises (SMEs) in the countries listed above so that Institute of Statistics of Rwanda paint a promising pic-
they are able to be competitive and, in turn, access lo- ture in which the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth
cal, regional and international markets. This will partly be rate climbed from 6 % in 2009 to 9.4 % in 2019. By 2019,
achieved by partnering African and European companies the total GDP had reached FRw 9.105 billion. Agriculture,
and SMEs with QI institutions for synergies in order to industry and services have been by far the dominant con-
match the supply of those services to demand. tributors (in that order) during the last five years of that
period.
Before such a project is launched in a country, a compre-
hensive survey is performed to inform the implementors
of the status of the quality infrastructure of that country.
By doing so, the identified gaps can be addressed, and
potential synergies can be developed for future partner-
1.1.2.  Rwanda’s GDP Growth and Sector
Contributions 2017–2019
ships.
Since the year 2017, Rwanda’s GDP has been growing ex-
This report is the result of the assessment of the main QI ponentially buoyed by an economy that is growing due to
institutions in Rwanda in June 2020. The report has an a high demand for housing units and industrial and agri-
annex of recommendations that can be implemented to culture products. The revitalization of tourism, informa-
bridge the identified gaps. tion and communications technology (ICT) and mineral
sectors have also contributed immensely towards the
GDP.

GDP Growth Rate

10

2
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Figure 1: An illustration of Rwanda’s GDP growth rate from the year 2009 to the year 2019 (nisr-www.statistics.gov.rw)

7
1 . I ntrod u ction

For the past three years (2017–2019), Rwanda’s GDP has

been growing at an average rate of 7.3 %. In terms of sec-
tors, the main contributors during that period have been
agriculture, industry and services.

The service sector has been the leading contributor in

that three-year period with an average contribution of
around 48.3 % followed by agriculture with 26.5 % and,
finally, industry at 17 %.

Year Overall Growth Agriculture Industry Services Other

2019 9.4 % 24 % 18 % 49 % 9%

2018 8.5 % 27 % 16.5 % 49 % 7.5 %

2017 4% 28.5 % 16.5 % 47 % 8%

Table 1: Rwanda’s GDP growth from 2017–2019 and its main contributors (nisr-www.statistics.gov.rw)

1.1.3.  Rwanda’s Trade Liberalization and

Robust Projects
Rwanda’s leaders understand that the country’s trade
with the rest of the world must be liberalized to achieve
these targets – especially the target on trade. Rwanda
Rwanda is among the pioneering countries that have em- has been a member of the World Trade Organization
barked on the process of adopting the Sustainable De- since 1996 and has since signed a number of internation-
velopment Goals (SDGs). This commitment is partly re- al, regional and bilateral agreements. These include the
flected in long- and medium-term strategic development WTO’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
papers that are designed to include targets in line with and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
those of the SDGs. These strategic development papers Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). The other key agreement
include Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transfor- is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
mation (NST1), the National Export Strategy II (NES2)
and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Rwanda has embarked on implementing robust projects
Strategy II (EDPRS2). in some sectors to make the country more competitive
and is also becoming a global player in terms of actions
The EDPRS2 has the overarching objective of building on to reduce climate change. These include building export
what the country has achieved so far and ensuring that processing zones to enable smooth regional and interna-
by the year 2023, Rwanda will have attained a middle-in- tional trade, developing a robust health care system that
come country status. To meet this target, the EDPRS2 has is based on IT, and Rwanda’s ambitious recent 11-bil-
specific objectives that include restructuring the econo- lion dollar 10-year climate action plan which has been
my towards more service and industry, increasing export submitted to the UN. The latter is aimed at reducing the
volumes, attracting large investors, promoting urbaniza- country’s carbon emissions and guiding adaption to cli-
tion, leveraging a green economy and ensuring the health mate change.
and safety of citizens.

8
 1 . I ntrod u ction

1.1.4. Rwanda’s Trade Balance 1995–2017

Since 1995, Rwanda has experienced impressive annual

export growth rates. This growth in exports has spurred
an increase primarily in the import of machines and raw
materials which are used in the export process.

In 1995, Rwanda was exporting goods worth around

50 million USD. By 2016, 21 years later, exports had in-
creased by more than sixteen times securing an estimat-
ed 840 million USD as shown in blue below (the red line
represents total imports).

2B
1.8B
1.6B
1.4B
1.2B
Trade in USD

1B
800M
600M
400M
200M
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Year

Figure 2: Rwanda’s trade balance from 1995–2017 (https://oec.world/en/profile/country/rwa/)

1.1.5. Rwanda’s Export Portfolio fodder and hides and skins. These products make up dif-
ferent shares of exports.
Rwanda exports about 70 types of products with a re-
vealed comparative advantage (meaning that its share In 2017, Rwanda exported 22 million USD, making it the
of global exports is larger than what would be expected 172nd largest exporter in the world. During the last five
from the size of its export economy and from the size of years, Rwanda’s exports have decreased by an annual rate
a product’s global market). of –21.6 % (from 756 million USD in 2012 to 223 million
USD in 2017). In the most recent years, coffee was the
Rwanda’s export portfolio includes coffee, tea, mate, leading export and made up 26.8 % of the total exports of
mineral ores, spices, mineral fuels, oils, distillation prod- Rwanda. Tea was in second place with 21.6 % of exports.
ucts, ores slag and ash, pearls, precious stones, animal
and vegetable products, fats and oils, milling products
and malt starches, cereals, machinery and boilers, lime
and cement, live animals, textile materials, electric and
electronic devices, seeds and fruits, residues and animal

9
1 . I ntrod u ction

TOTAL: $224M

Coffee Tea Niobium, Tin Bran

Other Equine
Hides and...
and...

Tantalum, Ores 1.8% 1.5%

Vanadium, Trunks Tanned... 3.2%
and 0.86% 0.76%

Zirconium... Raw Lead

22% 18%
Scrap Iron

6.4%
27% Cut Flowers

1.1%
Vegetable...

0.9%
Legumes

0.88%
Tungsten Ore

Figure 3: The distribution of Rwanda’s export products in 2017 (https://oec.world/en/profile/country/rwa/)

The majority of Rwanda’s products are exported to the

following countries: United States of America, Pakistan,
China, Malaysia, United Kingdom, India, Kenya, Uganda,
Japan, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.

These countries import varying percentages of Rwanda’s

exports, depending on market fluctuations. However,
Rwanda’s top export destinations in 2017 were the Unit-
ed States (43.1 million USD), Pakistan (34 million USD),
China (28.8 million USD), Kenya (15.7 million USD) and
Malaysia (14.4 million USD). The figure below shows the
major export destinations of Rwandan products during
that year.

TOTAL: $224M

Pakistan Malaysia United Kingdom Belgium- Netherlands France Italy

Luxembourg

3.1% 2.0%
5.8% 1.5%
Poland
1.3%

15% 6.4% Germany

3.4%
ID
United States
USA
Czech
Republic

China India Kazakhstan

United Export Value $43.1M
19%
1.6% 1.2%
States Percent

13% Japan South Korea

1.1% 19%
Figure 4: Major export destinations of Rwandan products in 2017 (https://oec.world/en/profile/country/rwa/)

10
 1 . I ntrod u ction

1.2.  The Need for a National Quality

Infrastructure
product and service conformity and is aligned with Rwan-
da’s new national development priorities. It is geared to-
wards the promotion of Rwandan services and products
For Rwanda to accrue the benefits of international trade, that are made in Rwanda to ensure their competitiveness
its products and services must be competitive on the on targeted markets by meeting both customers’ needs
global stage. Compliance to standards and regulations and expectations on the one hand and those of the regu-
play a major role in ensuring that such products and latory authorities on the other hand. Furthermore, it was
services are competitive. It is therefore imperative that developed to support new policies and strategies as well
Rwanda have a sound quality infrastructure to ensure the as to address the challenges faced by the existing NQI.
availability of standards, conformity assessment (CA) and
a regulations regime which are in line with global trade
demand.

A supporting national quality infrastructure (NQI) which

ensures that the country’s products and services are mar-
ket-driven and competitive and have the required levels
of safety and quality on the international stage would
enable Rwanda’s SMEs to become resilient and compet-
itive by creating a level playing field for those SMEs and
large companies. Rwanda’s economy would benefit from
an improved trade balance as well as increasing employ-
ment and productivity.

According to international standards, a quality infra-

structure regime consists of standards, accreditation,
testing, metrology, certification, inspection and tech-
nical regulations.

© iStock
In order to improve on the existing QI and ensure com-
pliance with international standards, Rwanda developed
and approved a national quality policy in 2010 (RQP
2010). It has since been revised and is now known as the
Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 (RQP 2018).

The first Rwanda Quality Policy of 2010 was aimed at

strengthening the national quality policy institutions,
removing existing overlaps by specifying QI institutions
which needed to be established as well as defining their
mandates, roles and responsibilities, and creating syner-
gies between these QI institutions on both management
and operational levels.

The current Rwanda Quality Policy was enacted to

establish a fully functional, financially sustainable and
internationally recognized NQI that is capable of pro-
viding the required independent and reliable evidence of

11
2 . O bjecti v e and M ethodolog y

2. Objective and Methodology

To carry out this assessment of Rwanda’s QI, a combi- order to solicit their views and comments using the ques-
nation of approaches and methodology were used. An tions listed in the RDT tool.
in-depth study of different data sources was necessary
before data collection, treatment and analysis could be The findings and recommendations contained in this QI
carried out and findings and recommendations could be assessment report of Rwanda are the result of data ob-
written for this report. tained through a desk study and interviews with different
stakeholders – most importantly senior managers from
Secondary data was collected through a desk study that QI institutions.
included an intensive literature search, a review and syn-
thesis of relevant documents from the East African Com- The assessment of the data collected on Rwanda’s QI
munity, Rwanda Vison 2050, the Economic Development framework and its operational environment was mainly
and Poverty Reduction Strategy II, the National Strate- carried out using the answers to questions contained in
gy for Transformation, the Rwanda Quality Policy 2010 the PTB / World Bank Group (WBG) Quality Infrastruc-
and 2018, the National Export Strategy, the World Trade ture Rapid Diagnostic Tool. The primary intention of the
Organization Annex on Technical Barriers to Trade, the assessment was to inform the GoR of the strengths and
Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology and Test- gaps of its current QI benchmarked against international
ing (SQMT) Act 2006, the organic law establishing pub- best practices. The GoR could then use the report and its
lic institutions in Rwanda, the law which established the recommendations as a sound basis to address the iden-
RSB, the law which established the RFDA, the law which tified gaps.
established RICA and different websites. A list of docu-
ments and websites which were used for secondary data Using the RDT as a guide, the assessment was mainly
collection can be found on page 50. carried out by focusing on three quality institutions: the
Rwanda Standards Board, the Rwanda Food and Drugs
Primary data was collected through face-to-face and Authority and the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition
telephone interviews with key informants referred from and Consumer Protection Authority. Above all, this as-
the key QI institutions mentioned in the following chap- sessment concentrated on the following key broad areas
ter, Overview of Rwanda’s QI Situation. The data and of Rwanda’s quality infrastructure, which are referred to
information collected were progressively analysed and as pillars in the PTB/WBG Rapid Diagnostic Tool:
used to prepare the study report. As one of the pioneers
of the establishment of Rwanda’s QI institutions and ■ legal and institutional framework
operationalization from 2004 to 2015 before I turned to ■ administration and infrastructure
QI consulting, my background knowledge in QI devel- ■ service delivery and technical competency
opment in Rwanda helped me to filter and stratify the ■ external relations and recognition
obtained data.
The RDT has a set of questions tailored to each specific
The only limitation to this study was related to the avail- type of QI institution, depending on the services that the
ability of some key respondents for interviews at the institution provides, the resources needed to provide that
agreed times. A few appointments had to be rescheduled service and, if necessary, the international accreditation
several times partly due to some staff working from home needed to prove competence to offer that particular ser-
as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the necessary vice.
lockdown. This limitation was overcome by continuing to
engage those respondents by contacting them in their
homes, sometimes outside of normal working hours, in

12
 2 . O bjecti v e and M ethodolog y

The tool then evaluates the given answers using a point The findings in this report are presented using two major
score system. Scoring is based on a 0 to 4-point system. groupings: the grouping for the findings on issues that
For interpretation purposes and to aid the formulation of are common to all the QI institutions in Rwanda and the
recommendations, the collective score system is divided grouping of issues that are particular to the individual
into the following four ranges: Rwandan QI institutions. The issues that are common
to all QI institutions are found in the key common areas
■ Score 0–1.0: Little or nothing is in place, and the of interest of QI in section 4.1, while the issues that are
country must develop the relevant elements from particular to each QI institution are found in section 4.2.
scratch.
■ Score 1.1–2.0: A rudimentary system which is in need It should, however, be noted that these findings – along
of much fundamental development exists. with their corresponding recommendations from the RDT
■ Score 2.1–3.0: A reasonable system is in place, but it and desk research – are not absolute. They can nonethe-
is in need of further development. less be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
■ Score 3.1–4.0: A good system is in place (no need of the concerned institutions.
for fundamental development, but maintenance is
important).

13
3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

3. Overview of Rwanda’s QI Situation

3.1. General Context Organization of Legal Metrology – OIML). National stan-
dards bodies need to be actively involved in the relevant
Standards, metrology, conformity assessment and regu- international and regional standards-setting technical
lations have a profound influence on national, regional committees. Certification bodies need to be accredited
and international trade. In Rwanda, trade volumes have to provide credible and competent services globally. The
risen steadily in the past two decades and as a result it national accreditation body must gain international rec-
is crucial that Rwanda establish and maintain a quality ognition through the multilateral recognition arrange-
infrastructure which is capable of providing demonstra- ments that are managed by the International Laboratory
ble evidence that the products and services of private Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International
enterprises meet the demands of markets and regulatory Accreditation Forum (IAF).
authorities.
The QI institutions that have been established need to be
Like many other developing countries, Rwanda initial- sustainable. In principle, the sustainability of QI institu-
ly faced challenges in terms of the quantity, roles and tions depends on a number of key issues. Governments
operational efficiency of the QI institutions which were have a responsibility to provide funding for the funda-
being established. Although no definitive internationally mental QI institutions (i.e. metrology, standards and ac-
accepted structure for the set-up and operational pro- creditation). Commercial QI service delivery should be
vision of QI services exists, good practices have evolved determined through appropriate market mechanisms.
that must be taken into consideration. It is generally ac-
cepted that metrology, standards and accreditation are Countries establish National Standards Bodies (NSBs)
essential. Without these, calibration and conformity as- which are responsible for developing standards. Often,
sessment services cannot be performed properly. While this task is confused, or it is mixed with the responsibil-
some of these services – specifically regulatory types of ities of sanitary and phytosanitary agencies. Food safety
QI services – should, ideally, be provided by public bodies, is an important intervention area for QI. Food standards
privately owned businesses can take on other tasks in- include safety and quality issues that are subject to both
cluding non-regulatory services. Therefore, governments the World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosani-
need to establish a policy environment that outlines the tary Measures and the Agreement on Technical Barriers
responsibilities of the government and gives space to the to Trade. During the earlier phase of establishing the
private sector for service delivery. Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) (which later became
the Rwanda Standards Board – RSB), RBS took on the re-
Furthermore, it is paramount that once the QI institu- sponsibility for implementing mandatory food standards.
tions are established and offering services, international Presently, this is now increasingly undertaken by dedicat-
recognition of those institutions be pursued for confor- ed food safety agencies.
mity assessment services to be accepted in the export
markets. National testing laboratories must be accredit- Quality infrastructure must evolve with time and as de-
ed so that test reports and certificates issued can be rec- mand necessitates. The reform of QI is therefore para-
ognized internationally. National metrology institutions mount for both the survival of the institutions in terms of
must ensure that their calibration and measurement ca- their sustained relevancy and the quality services they are
pabilities are internationally recognized, traceable and able to offer as well as their ability to meet ever-changing
recorded in the key comparison database managed by the market demands. QI reforms should focus on the ability
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). Legal of businesses to compete, achieve conformity and net-
metrology agencies or departments have to approximate work. The ability to market products and services requires
their regulations to the guidelines set by the Organisa- companies to compete. In doing so, they must meet the
tion Internationale de Métrologie Légale (International quality standards required by the market while ensuring

14
 3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

an adequate return on capital. To do this, firms must be to provide standardization, metrology and conformity as-
able to conform – by accessing quality infrastructure ser- sessment services which are in line with Rwanda’s revised
vices that verify compliance with the relevant standards. trade targets as outlined in newly developed or reviewed
Ultimately, companies need to be supported to better policies and strategies related to trade promotion and
connect their products and services to potential buyers industrial development. Moreover, the policy is aimed at
or markets. keeping the country abreast of dynamic and ever-chang-
ing world trading patterns and effectively addressing the
challenges faced by the national quality infrastructure.

3.2. Rwanda’s QI Policy and Legal Framework

In Rwanda, the current QI institutions are all public save

for the few designated testing laboratories found in
3.3. Rwanda’s Institutional QI Framework

different parts of the country. All public institutions in As of now, Rwanda has legally established, mandated and
Rwanda are established by Law N° 001/2016/OL of 20 designated three main QI institutions:
April 2016 which is an organic law outlining the general
provisions which govern the establishment of public in- ■ the Rwanda Standards Board
stitutions. The establishment, mandate and functions of ■ the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority
such institutions are specifically found in articles 1–11 of ■ the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and
the law. Beyond this organic law, the established individ- Consumer Protection Authority
ual QI bodies have laws and regulations specific to their
given mandates, management and operational scope. The RSB was established first in 2002 and was primarily
tasked with all the functions of a quality infrastructure
Another relevant legal framework of institutional QI including standards development, metrology, testing,
is the treaty establishing the East African Community developing regulations, certification, inspection and, at
of which Rwanda is a member. Article 81 of the treaty times, advising the government on how to go about ac-
recognizes the significance of standardization, quality creditation matters. Later, as Rwanda’s leaders saw the
assurance, metrology and testing to promote trade and need to put in place a QI regime consistent with demands
investment in the EAC Partner States. Article 81 of the of public and private entities, the RFDA and RICA were
EAC treaty stipulates that the Partner States undertake established. Some of the functions previously performed
to develop and apply a common SQMT policy for goods by the RSB have been transferred to those institutions. It
and services produced and traded within the Community. is therefore befitting to say that the RFDA and RICA are
To implement this article of the treaty, the East African the children of the RSB. Presently, RICA is still housed
Community enacted the EAC Standards, Quality Assur- under RSB while arrangements and preparations are be-
ance, Metrology and Testing Act 2006. This act as well as ing made to be relocated. The mandates of these three
the legal framework mentioned above provide for the es- institutions are separate and clearly spelt out in the laws
tablishment and operationalization of SQMT institutions and regulations which established them.
within EAC Partner States.

Finally, there is the Rwanda Quality Policy 2018, whose

main aim is to enable QI institutions to provide services
that comply with regional and international safety and
quality demands and thus make Rwandan products and
services more competitive. The intention of the policy is

15
3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

In brief:
The Rwanda Standards Board oversees standards devel-
3.3.2. The Rwanda Standards Board

opment, metrology (scientific, industrial and legal), certi- Rwanda Standards Board, formerly Rwanda Bureau of
fication and some testing. The testing of drugs, fortified Standards, is a public institution established by Rwanda’s
foods, food supplements and related items has, however, Official Gazette N° 30 of 29 July 2013 to undertake all
been transferred to the Rwanda Food and Drugs Author- activities pertaining to the development of standards,
ity. quality assurance (certification, testing) and metrology in
Rwanda. It is the only body with powers to define and
The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority is mandated own national standards. Public services and public or pri-
to regulate the manufacture, transportation and sale of vate firms must present their standards to the RSB for
human and animal drugs, processed fortified foods and adoption at the national level.
supplements and related products. The RFDA does not,
however, develop standards or carry out metrology and The RSB answers to the Ministry of Trade and Industry
certification activities. (MINICOM) and is governed by the Board of Directors
which is composed of major stakeholders from govern-
The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consum- ment, industry, academic institutions and consumer as-
er Protection Authority was established exclusively to sociations.
carry out inspection activities. RICA is mandated to carry
out inspections for agrochemicals, unprocessed animal The Rwanda Standards Board started its operations in
products, unprocessed plant products and plants as well 2003. At that time, it was offering services of standards
as other products that include construction materials, development, testing, metrology, certification and in-
goods used in electrical installations, parts of electronic spection for all products and service scopes.
items, chemicals not intended for treatment or diagnos-
tics, textiles, plastic materials and rubber products, leath- From 2010 to 2019, the Government of Rwanda (GoR)
er products, wood and wood products, non-medicated established specialized institutions to manage regulatory
cosmetics, paper and paper products, children’s toys, work and, among many other things, decongest the RSB.
arts and crafts materials, domestic appliances, human The aim was to separate regulatory from non-regulato-
hygiene products, agriculture tools, paints, animal feeds, ry work and to create synergies and efficiency in SQMT
factory machinery and recreational tools. service delivery. The RSB had been combining regulatory
and non-regulatory standards, conformity assessment
and metrology (SCAM) services. This resulted in a num-

3.3.1. Rwanda’s QI Timelines and Staffing

ber of service gaps as well as clear evidence of conflicts
of interest.

As discussed above, the oldest QI institution in Rwanda

is the RSB which was created in 2002 and started oper-
ations in 2003. The RFDA and RICA are new institutions
that originated from the re-structuring of the RSB.

Current Estimated Total

Institution Year of Creation Year of Starting Operations
Number of Staff

Rwanda Standards Board 2002 2003 161

Rwanda Food and Drugs 2018 2019 130

Authority

Rwanda Inspectorate, 2017 In planning 2

Competition and Consumer
Protection Authority

Table 2: The key years of Rwanda’s main quality infrastructure institutions and the current level of staff

16
 3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

To solve these issues, the following institutions and divi- The law establishing the RFDA assigns the mandate,
sions were established: among other things, to regulate compliance with quality
standards relating to the manufacture, storage, sale, dis-
■ the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority tribution, use, import and export of goods, to ensure the
■ the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer compliance of labels, packages and raw materials used in
Protection Authority product manufacturing, to regulate laboratory and clean-
■ the Accreditation Focal Point (Accreditation Desk)1 ing chemicals and pesticides as well as premises involved
in the Ministry of Trade and Industry in addition to in the manufacture of products, to establish the quali-
the ministry’s other tasks ty assurance and quality control of products regulated
■ private laboratories in different parts of the country through designated quality control laboratories, to en-
■ the Rwanda Agriculture and Livestock Inspection and sure that processed food, food supplements and fortified
Certification Services (RALIS) food meet the prescribed quality standards before they
are placed on the market, and to conduct pharmacovigi-
The RALIS, which was tasked with phytosanitary mea- lance and post-marketing surveillance for the safety and
sures and operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and quality of products on the market.
Animal Resources (MINAGRI), has since been merged
with RICA. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority is a regulatory
body whose scope of work is specifically laid down in the
Due to the Rwandan Government’s QI reforms in the law establishing it. It uses standards developed by the
form of creating these specialized institutions and focal RSB either for reference or to make regulations applica-
points, the RSB can now concentrate on the non-regula- ble in its scope of work.
tory functions of standards development, testing, prod-
uct and system certification and calibration paired with The RFDA started full operations in 2019. At first, the fo-
specialized training in those services. The only remaining cus was on the registration and licensing of food manu-
regulatory function of the RSB is legal metrology, most facturers and importers as well as drugs manufacturers
notably the verification and inspection of measuring in- and vendors, among other things. The food and phar-
struments used in trade. maceutical laboratories that were formerly under the
management of RSB were delegated to the FDA. This has
helped it to quickly and effectively manage the analysis of

3.3.3. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority

safety products for regulation purposes.

The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority is a public in-

stitution that was established by Law N° 003/2018 of 9
February 2018. The RFDA falls under the authority of the
3.3.4.  The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition
and Consumer Protection Authority
Ministry of Health (MoH) and is supervised by the Board
of Directors which report to the Minister of Health. The The Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer
Board of Directors of the RFDA is made up of seven Protection Authority was created out of the need to har-
members who are appointed by a Presidential Order. monize and bring efficiency to the way inspections were
done in the country. There were a number of institutions
The mandate of the authority is to protect public health doing inspections for purposes of checking and enforc-
and ensure safety through the regulation of human and ing quality, safety and competition standards. The GoR
veterinary medicines, vaccines and other biological prod- therefore saw a need to harmonize these inspections and
ucts, processed foods, poisons, medicated cosmetics, hence created RICA.
medical devices, household chemical substances and to-
bacco and tobacco products. Law N° 31/2017 of 25 July 2017 established the Rwanda
Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Au-
thority and determined its mission, organization and op-
1 Both names are used interchangeably

17
3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

eration. This law mandates RICA to carry out quality and The Rwanda Quality Policy of 2010 as well as its revised
standards conformity inspections of the following traded version of 2018 envisaged Rwanda establishing an in-
products: agrochemicals, unprocessed animal products, stitutional accreditation framework to provide accred-
unprocessed plants and plant products, food products, itation services. The Rwanda Quality Policy of 2010 in-
construction materials, goods used in electrical installa- tended that Rwanda first establish an Accreditation Focal
tions, parts of electronic items, chemicals not intended Point within the Ministry of Trade and Industries. The fo-
for treatment or diagnostics, textiles, plastic materials cal point would later evolve into a fully-fledged national
and rubber products, leather products, wood and wood accreditation body named Rwanda Accreditation Services
products, non-medicated cosmetics, paper and paper (RAS).
products, children’s toys, arts and crafts materials, do-
mestic appliances, human hygiene products, agriculture The current Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 envisages that
tools, paints, animal feeds, factory machinery and recre- the GoR establish and strengthen the Accreditation Focal
ational tools. Point or Desk which is responsible for trade and indus-
try in the ministry. The Accreditation Focal Point is re-
RICA is not only mandated to inspect these products sponsible for facilitating the accreditation of conformity
while on the market, but also to inspect production pro- assessment service providers such as inspection bodies,
cesses, product storage and transportation value chains. testing laboratories, calibration laboratories and certifi-
cation bodies through foreign accreditation bodies in an
Although RICA was established in 2017, it has yet to internationally acceptable manner.
launch full operations as it is still located on the premises
of the RSB. Despite constraints it is indirectly helping the Once the number of accredited organizations reaches a
RSB to carrying out inspections. The GoR has appoint- viable number, the GoR will be committed to transform-
ed RICA’s top management, but recruitment of other ing the Accreditation Desk into a fully-fledged indepen-
staff is underway and full operational status is yet to be dent accreditation body that will seek international rec-
achieved. It is expected that full operations will begin in ognition through bodies such as ILAC and the IAF.
2021. Once fully operational, RICA is expected to take on
the roles of the RALIS as its responsibilities have since
A focal point called the Accreditation Focal Point (or
been transferred to RICA. It will also be tasked with en-
Accreditation Desk) has been created in the Ministry
suring that imported or exported substances or products
of Trade and Industry. However, the capacity of this
comply with the prescribed standards, laws and regula-
office is still too low to provide accreditation services
tions.
to link those who need services with international ac-
creditation bodies.

3.3.5.  The Accreditation Focal Point in the

Ministry of Trade and Industry

Accreditation is an important part of a quality infra-

structure in that it ensures that among other things QI
3.3.6.  Designated Public and Private Testing
Laboratories
institutions, health care providers, education providers
and conformity assessment bodies provide verified and In addition to the RSB and RFDA testing laboratories,
trusted services to their customers. This is accomplished other public and private testing laboratories have been
through a series of audits and assessments aimed at en- designated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to assist
suring that the service providers adhere to international in offering recognized regional testing facilities. This is a
standards to confirm that the assessed service providers way of decongesting the work of the RFDA and the RSB
have the necessary managerial and technical capabilities while at the same time supporting the private sector to
to provide the services. engage in conformity assessment work.

18
 3 . O v er v iew of R wanda’ s Q I S it u ation

These laboratories include the National Laboratory of The above laboratories were designated by the Ministry of
Public Works in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININ- Trade and Industry at different times and after a rigorous
FRA), the Plant Health and Seeds Laboratory in MINAGRI, assessment procedure that occasionally involved training
the Mineral Quality Control and Geochemistry and Min- from third parties to conform to the requirements of the
eralogy Laboratory in the Ministry of Environment (MoE) selection criteria. These laboratories must meet mini-
and other private laboratories such as Alexis STEWART mum requirements in terms of testing capacity, compe-
international (private metal testing and analysis), Labora- tent personnel and state of the art analytical equipment
toire d’Analyses des Denrées Alimentaires, Médicaments, to cover different products including (but not limited to)
Eaux et Toxines (LADAMET, University of Rwanda), the construction materials, pharmaceutical and traditional
SJITC Public Works Laboratory (St Joseph Integrated herbs, leather, soil, precious minerals, electronics, food
Technical College), the Integrated Polytechnic Regional and agriculture, packaging and chemical products.
Centre (IPRC)-Kigali Laboratory and many others.

© PTB/Yannick Tylle

19
4 . F indings

4. Findings
4.1. QI Key Common Areas of Interest ■ the creation of a National Certification Bodies Forum
(NCBF) composed of representatives from public and
private certification bodies

4.1.1. The Rwanda Quality Policy

■ the establishment of a National Quality Council (NSC)
to promote cooperation and coordination between the
National Standards Bodies and their stakeholders and
One of the many major achievements of the GoR is that give future strategic direction in matters pertaining to
it was the first in the East African Community to devel- standardization, quality assurance and regulations
op a national quality policy in 2010. The policy was de- ■ the creation of a National Technical Regulatory Com-
veloped by the Ministry of Trade and Industry through a mittee (NTRC) under the Ministry of Trade and Indus-
multi-stakeholder consultative process. This policy was try in order to oversee the development and imple-
later revised and approved by the GoR in 2018. mentation of technical regulations

The first Rwanda Quality Policy, which was developed The reality is that all these recommendations are sound
and approved in 2010, was aimed at enhancing efficiency and in line with international best practices. However,
and effectiveness as well as customer satisfaction with implementing them is demanding in terms of resourc-
rendered services. Its key outcome was the restructuring es and time. There is a need for a phased approach with
of the NQI institutions and, importantly, the separation some prioritization, otherwise these good ideas may re-
of regulatory from non-regulatory functions. The cur- main only on paper. To illustrate this reality: the revised
rent Rwanda Quality Policy resulted from the revision of policy was enacted in 2018 and in the third year after en-
the 2010 Policy. The revision was mainly carried out to actment (2020), none of these bodies are operational.
strengthen the institutional capacities of the NQI which
include the RSB, the RFDA, RICA, public and private test- Recommendation 1: The GoR should give priorities to
ing and metrology laboratories, public and private certifi- phased operationalization of these frameworks starting
cation bodies and the Accreditation Desk. with the most urgent ones.

The revised policy therefore recommends policy orien- The Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 is a modern document
tations that will help to address current and prospective that outlines what ought to be done in order to align
challenges faced by Rwandan QI institutions. Among Rwanda’s quality infrastructure to international best
those recommendations are: practices. However, a strategy to implement this policy
needs to be developed. As seen in the Rapid Diagnostic
■ the establishment of a national Standards Stakehold- Tool results, all components of a QI are lacking a strategy.
ers Forum (SSF) that is made up of representatives of
the Private Sector Federation, managers of NSB tech- Recommendation 2: The Ministry of Trade and Industry
nical divisions as well as consumer associations and together with all Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 stakehold-
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with man- ers should develop a strategic plan (SP) to implement the
dates to promote standardization and related activities policy. This SP should include all components of the QI
and that is expected to strengthen stakeholder en- and provide details of the actions to be taken, the respon-
gagement in national, regional and international stan- sible institutions and their corresponding timelines and
dardization activities budgets. A monitoring and evaluation framework should
■ the setup of a National Quality Testing Laboratory Fo- also be put in place for purposes of following up on the
rum (NQTLF) made up of representatives from public implementation process.
and private quality testing laboratories

20
 4 . F indings

4.1.2. The Legal Framework of QI ■ the Regulation for Designating the Testing
Laboratories, 2010
A legal framework is a crucial element of QI. This frame- ■ the Regulation for Implementation of Technical
work includes laws and regulations which are a neces- Regulations in Partner States, 2010
sary prerequisite to ensure that QI institutions are estab- ■ the Regulation for Product Certification in Partner
lished, and daily operation is carried out optimally and States, 2010
in a favourable legal environment. Without appropriate
laws and regulations of QI institutions, the expected re- The Ministry of Trade and Industry, supported by the
sults can hardly be produced. RSB, has designated some testing laboratories in Rwan-
da. Mandatory product certification – especially for prod-
The three QI institutions in Rwanda that this assessment ucts that are considered to pose safety and health risks
considered were established by basic laws which outlined – is implemented by the RSB and now the RFDA. This is a
their functions. However, legislation detailing their spe- good practice, but the EAC regulations are yet to be ad-
cific operations is missing. This is a big gap which effects opted at the national level by the GoR as recommended
the way that institutions offer their services and may be by the EAC.
a source of duplication of work, loss of revenue and un-
necessary competition. As highlighted in Rwanda Quality Recommendation 5: The GoR, through relevant ministries,
Policy 2018, the development of technical regulations is should adopt and domesticate the three regulations on the
also hampered by limited synergies and communication designation of testing laboratories, the implementation of
between existing regulators, overlapping roles and re- technical regulations and product certification, since these
sponsibilities as well as a lack of regulators in some sec- regulations are already in use.
tors. In some areas, the developed technical regulations
do not conform to international standards of what con-
stitutes a technical regulation on a minimum level.

Recommendation 3: The Ministry of Trade and Industry

4.1.3. Institutional Autonomy

should develop a separate law and its implementing regu- Institutional autonomy is an important consideration if
lations covering the details of standardization, conformity growth and sustainability of the QI institutions are to be
assessment and accreditation. assessed. Sustainability refers not only to continuing to
offer quality services but also to retaining and elevating
Recommendation 4: The Technical Regulations Commit- the skills of human capital. The financial and organiza-
tee should ensure that technical regulations development tional autonomy of QI institutions provides incentives to
follows common guidelines, meets regional and interna- improve the quality of service and better cater to cus-
tional obligations and that the division of work between tomer needs. Also, responding to market needs requires
regulatory authorities and the NQI is optimally coordinat- a large degree of financial autonomy.
ed.
Again, achieving autonomy for a QI institution allows
The EAC Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology bodies to use the financial means at its disposal (also in-
and Testing Act of 2006 sought to establish and harmo- come earned from services) to strengthen and build the
nize a comprehensive QI regime with the EAC Member capacity of QI institutions through staff training and the
States and in so doing outlined three regulations for improvement of its governance and management sys-
Member States to adopt and implement. These regula- tems.
tions are:
It was noted during this assessment that staff turnover
figures are high for some QI institutions in Rwanda. This
is mostly attributed to employees seeking increased fi-
nancial renumeration. If this is not addressed, some QI

21
4 . F indings

institutions will stagnate and risk being outcompeted in Recommendation 7: The RSB, the RFDA and RICA should
the everchanging market demand. This is a high risk for consider the creation and operationalization of more
a QI institution like the RSB that offers non-regulatory manageable active inter-institutional steering commit-
services. tees. These committees can meet often, deliberate, plan
and even carry out activities of common interest together.
Recommendation 6: The RSB, the RFDA and RICA should
be allowed to retain a percentage of the money they ac-
crue from their services for a certain period of time. The
accumulated funds can then be used to develop their ca-
pacity in research fields as well as to retain and attract the
4.1.5. Institutional Capacity Building

best skilled workforce. The ability of QI to achieve and sustain better perfor-
mance in terms of services rendered strongly hinges on
having competent staff both at managerial and technical

4.1.4.  Inter- and Intrainstitutional

Coordination
and support levels. Staff in these levels need appropriate
skills acquired from continuous training and coaching to
be able to deliver quality service.

The recent reform of QI institutions in Rwanda has led Capacity building challenges cut across the three QI in-
to multiple institutions being established as envisaged stitutions in Rwanda. Some of the staff of the RSB, the
in the Rwanda Quality Policy 2018. Although these insti- oldest of the three QI institutions, have received tailored
tutions have separate legal mandates, there are services quality training sessions to enable them to carry out their
that they share like testing, inspection, and developing duties, but there is a lack of well-trained technical staff
and administering national regulations. to attain the sufficient levels required for best service
delivery. In 2012–2013, the RSB developed a five-year
Internally within these QI institutions, different depart- comprehensive capacity building plan to address cur-
ments and divisions are interdependent due to the nature rent and emerging competence challenges. However, the
of standardization, metrology and conformity assess- implementation of that plan did not unfold as planned.
ment work. Also, the plan included both educational and technical
development and was thus less manageable and difficult
The role of industry, academia and NGOs in the develop- to implement given the financial resources needed to
ment of standards and regulations plus their implemen- carry it out.
tation is paramount. However, their participation and
knowledge of work and output of the QI institutions is As a result, some frustrated student staff members chose
not yet sufficient. to join other institutions, while others left to advance
their careers at universities and other tertiary institutions
The level of coordination both internally at the institu- outside of Rwanda and did not come back to work for the
tional level and externally at the inter- institutional level RSB after completion of their studies.
is low and needs to be raised.
The case for capacity building of the RFDA and RICA is
The Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 proposes the forma- even more pressing given that these are new institutions.
tion of a National Standards Stakeholder Forum (NSSF) While the RFDA started operations in 2019, RICA is still
comprising managers of the NSB’s technical divisions as in the recruitment and operationalization stage. The need
well as representatives of the private sector, consumer to support these two institutions to the capacity of being
associations and NGOs with mandates to promote stan- able to sustain delivery of quality service is more pressing
dardization and related activities. As such a forum is lively than improving the RSB’s operations.
and difficult to manage, there is a need to substitute that
with a more flexible framework that can easily be imple-
mented.

22
 4 . F indings

Recommendation 8: The RSB should review its capacity In terms of memberships, the RSB is a/an
building plan with a focus on having a pool of competent
auditors, assessors, lead auditors, lead assessors, trainers ■ full member of the International Organization for
and technicians who are able to transfer the competence Standardization (ISO),
to newly recruited technicians. The RFDA and RICA should ■ affiliate member of the International Electrotechnical
develop capacity building plans to cater for the existing, Commission (IEC),
new and future employees. It is also important for the three ■ corresponding member of the International Organi­
QI institutions to reserve a part of their annual budgets to zation of Legal Metrology (OIML),
cater for the capacity building of their staff. Some of the ■ full member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
options like twinning arrangements with fellow highly de- ■ full member of the African Organisation for Standard-
veloped QI institutions either in Africa or beyond should be isation (ARSO), and a
exploited to help develop their competence. The twinning ■ full member of the African Electrotechnical Standard-
arrangements could include on-site-trainings, coaching ization Commission (AFSEC).
and internships.
The RSB’s services are recognized as follows:

4.1.6.  International Recognition of

QI Institutions
■ Two testing laboratories are accredited to ISO
17025:2005 by Raad Voor Accreditatie (Dutch Accredi-
tation Council, RvA) but only in limited microbiology
and chemistry scopes.
Rwanda has grabbed the opportunities presented by glo- ■ Three metrology laboratories are accredited by Deut-
balization by actively engaging in the promotion of re- sche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) to ISO 17025:2005
gional and international trade, both in services and prod- in limited temperature, mass and balance calibration
ucts. The country has an ambitious export agenda, not to scopes.
mention the blossoming tourism and mining sectors. ■ The standards development division and corporate
division services are certified to ISO 9001 by Germa-
In order for Rwanda’s trade products to access local, ny’s Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von
regional and international markets, the services offered Managementsystemen (DQS).
by the Rwandan QI institutions towards assuring that ■ The certification division of hazards analysis and criti-
those products are competitive and safe for both human cal control points and food safety management certi-
consumption and environmental preservation must be fication schemes are accredited by Raad Voor Accredi-
accredited by internationally recognized and trusted in- tatie.
stitutions.
Generally speaking, this is an honourable achievement
Moreover, the development of standards is a complex considering that the RSB is relatively young and its fi-
and financially draining process that should ideally in- nancial, staff, equipment and infrastructure resources are
volve international partners. Also, testing and metrology limited.
laboratories need to be accredited for their testing and
calibration results to be accepted and trusted interna- It must be noted, however, that the testing and inspection
tionally. The certification and inspection regimes also services provided by the RFDA have yet to be assessed
need to be accredited to their scheme standards in order and are therefore not accredited. Furthermore, the scope
for their services to be trusted by all their clients. These and number of accreditations that the RSB offers is very
QI institutions require membership in regional and inter- small.
national QI institutions to reap the benefits thereof.

23
4 . F indings

Recommendation 9: As the RSB has metrology laborato- in their business operations leads to a proliferation of
ries (some of which are accredited) which offer calibration substandard products and services, compromising their
services, it should aim to become at least an associate competitiveness.
member of the General Conference on Weights and Mea-
sures (CGPM). The accredited laboratories should also be The Rwanda Standards Board has tried to run periodic
encouraged to post their Calibration and Measurement radio and television awareness campaigns, but these have
Capabilities (CMCs) in the Key Comparison Database not produced the desired results. As a result, consumers
(KCDB) of the International Bureau of Weights and Mea- are unknowingly exposed to cheap and unsafe goods
sures. which in many cases are hazardous to their health and
the environment.
Recommendation 10: The scope of accreditation is still
narrow across all of the RSB’s services. Similarly, the ac- Recommendation 12: The RSB, RFDA and RICA should
creditations given to testing and metrology are based on develop a joint communication strategy that includes tar-
older versions of standards. Therefore, the RSB should geted audiences and join efforts to ensure that the strategy
increase the number and scope of the accredited services is implemented. The RSB has had a communication strat-
that it offers. These new accreditations should also be up- egy in the past, but it was not fully implemented – partly
graded to cover the new versions of standards. due to limited funds.

Recommendation 11: The accreditations and external Recommendation 13: A separate budget should be set
certifications acquired by the RSB are intended to serve as aside by the RSB, RFDA and RICA for better coordination
a demonstration of competence and also as a marketing and enforcement of mandatory standards and technical
tool. However, awareness of these qualifications is low. regulations. Also, product registration must be made com-
The RSB should post these accreditations and certifica- pulsory and no product should be allowed to be on the
tions on its website to inform the public, clients and poten- Rwandan market if it has not been registered.
tial clients of their existence.
Recommendation 14: The RSB should plan and budget
for the provision of resources to fund lessons, lectures and

4.1.7.  Promoting the Culture of Standardi­

zation in Rwanda
training on SQMT principles and practices. These should be
incorporated in the newly developed curriculum for upper
primary and lower secondary school subjects in Rwanda.

The extent to which manufacturers and service providers

offer standardized or quality products and services de-
pends on the demand for that by the public. In general,
Rwandans like quality products and services, but there
is still some work to do before a culture of demanding
quality products and services becomes commonplace in
the Rwandan community.

The success of Rwanda’s QI institutions is constrained by

limited awareness of the importance of standardization
and a lack of quality culture among Rwandans. The per-
ception that quality is expensive also does not help when
it comes to campaigns aimed at motivating Rwandans to
buy quality products. For this reason, the public is reluc-
tant to demand quality products and services and as a re-
sult, quality is not regarded by some local companies as a
priority. Companies not recognizing a need for standards

24
 4 . F indings

4.2.  Findings Particular to Individual

QI Institutions
Currently, MINICOM has designated a focal person to be
responsible for accreditation matters on top of his other
duties. His knowledge of accreditation is limited, and his
These findings are exclusive to individual institutions main duty as far as accreditation is concerned is to link
within Rwanda’s quality infrastructure set-up. They are institutions willing to be accredited to foreign accredita-
arranged according to the order in which the institutions tion bodies. The diagram below shows the results of the
appear in the Rapid Diagnostic Tool. RDT evaluation.

Major recommendations:

4.2.1. Accreditation
■ The Accreditation Focal Point in MINICOM

should be strengthened and only focus on

accreditation matters, even at a liaison level.
All accreditation services are offered by foreign nation-
■ A strategy should be set, and a timeframe for
al accreditation bodies, specifically those from Germany
when to start the establishment of the Rwanda
and the Netherlands as seen above.
Accreditation Services should be agreed on.
Given that the demand for accreditation body
Just like the former policy, the revised national quality
services are on the rise in the country, Rwanda
policy prioritizes the establishment and operationaliza-
should start thinking about establishing the RAS.
tion of an Accreditation Desk in the Ministry of Trade and
Staff recruitment, training and operation can
Industry. The policy notes that this desk should later be
then follow.
transformed into a fully-fledged national accreditation
body called Rwanda Accreditation Services.

Diagram 1: Accreditation strategy

25
4 . F indings

4.2.2. Standards Although the law establishing the RSB gives it the exclu-
sive mandate to develop national standards, other orga-
In 2002, the Standards Division of the RSB was the first nizations are developing and using guidelines and stan-
division to be established. It has been operating reason- dards especially in specialized professions like medicine,
ably well and has been developing standards as required engineering and architecture with or without the knowl-
by ISO standards development procedures since 2012. In edge and participation of the RSB.
2013, Rwanda was admitted to ISO as a full member. It
is represented by the RSB Standards Division. The chal- Also, the RSB sells standards online, but the process of
lenge here has been to build capacity to fully exploit par- purchasing standards is not wholly automated. Payment
ticipation in ISO work. Until now, the RSB’s Standards by credit card is limited, and it is impossible to purchase
Division participates in only two committees of ISO as standards online if a purchaser is not in Rwanda.
a P-member.
The divisions which make up the RSB have ad hoc or
The Standards Division is also certified to ISO 9001, a baseless annual action plans since RSB has no strategic
demonstration that its internal working environment as plan out of which annual action plans should be drawn.
well as customer engagement processes are sound and in This reactive rather than proactive planning has, in a way,
conformity with the requirements of international stan- negatively affected the operational efficiency of RSB’s di-
dards. visions.

In the last five years, the Standards Division has recruit-

ed staff to fill the various vacant positions. However, the
division has no formal training guidelines or programmes
for its staff to develop and edit standards.

Diagram 2: Standards strategy

26
 4 . F indings

Major recommendations:
■ The RSB’s Standards Division should develop
4.2.3. Testing

more capacity to participate in ISO committee The Testing Division at the RSB is one of the busiest since
work as a P-member. it is the only quality testing facility in the country, and
■ There is need for the Standards Division to devel- it has the widest analysis scope. The division has around
op a formal training programme for its staff. The twelve laboratories grouped into chemical biotechnology
programme should be designed in such a way that and materials (especially construction) testing. These lab-
both new and experienced staff are able to con- oratories have the capacity to analyse around six hundred
tinuously equip themselves with the necessary parameters of fifty different products. Three laboratories
skills to perform their duties. (chemistry, food and microbiology) have been accredited
■ An implementation framework needs to be put in by RvA of the Netherlands, but the accreditations are only
place to coordinate the different organizations for a limited scope both in terms of the number of labo-
which are developing standards in a way that en- ratories and the range of testing.
sures that those standards pass through the RSB
before being used. Intensive awareness-raising Other private laboratories have been designated to carry
also needs to be done to inform organizations of out testing. These private testing facilities which are lo-
the development and declaration process of cated in different parts of the country have been desig-
Rwandan standards. Lastly, a mechanism for the nated according to their competencies.
designation of these organizations should be put
in place and awareness made thereof. The Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority has also been
■ It is helpful that the process of purchasing stan- mandated to carry out the testing of the products under
dards has been improved to include online trans- its jurisdiction. Being a young institution, it is still estab-
actions. Still, improvement is needed with regard lishing its testing laboratories.
to the lack of a means to purchase standards with
a credit card while not physically in Rwanda. The following diagram and list show the results of the
survey using the RDT and the recommendations that
were made:

Diagram 3: Testing services strategy

27
4 . F indings

Major recommendations:
■ There is a need to define and communicate the scope of analysis to be undertaken by the different public and

private testing laboratories as per their mandate. Otherwise, there is a risk of duplication of resources and
unnecessary competition. This problem is starting to manifest itself between the RSB and the RFDA as regards
food testing.
■ An association of testing bodies termed as the National Quality Testing Laboratory Forum in the current ver-

sion of the Quality Policy needs to be fast-tracked and tasked to deal with this emerging issue among the RSB,
the RFDA and other stakeholders.
■ The materials testing laboratories test some types of electrical and construction materials using American

Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards as well as International Electrotechnical Commission stan-
dards. There is therefore a need to start developing accreditable market-oriented sectoral schemes based on
IEC, OIML, and such like standards and later have materials laboratories accredited to those schemes.
■ As highlighted in the previous chapter, the scope of accreditation in both numbers and parameters analysed is

still very narrow for a National Reference Laboratory regarding quality assurance matters. There is therefore a
need to increase both the number and scope of accreditations.
■ ISO 15189 is not very well known in the health sector, yet it is an important standard especially for organiza-

tions which own and operate medical laboratories. The Ministry of Health should consider using it as a re-
quirement when approving medical laboratories.

4.2.4. Metrology

Metrology is one of the four technical divisions which

make up the Rwanda Standards Board. Currently, legal
metrology, scientific metrology and industrial metrology
fall under this division. The division has seven laborato-
ries working in the areas of mass, pressure, dimension,
electricity, volume and temperature. Much of the divi-
sion’s work is concentrated on calibrations and legal me-
trology verifications. No work has been carried out yet in
scientific metrology.

Three of the division’s laboratories, namely tempera-

ture, mass and balance (the latter of which evolved from
mass laboratory) are ISO 17025-accredited by Deutsche
Akkreditierungsstelle.

The division is still operating under the RSB Law, but in © PTB/Fotografie

January 2020, the GoR enacted a national metrology law.

This law determines and institutes modalities for carry-
ing out metrology activities in Rwanda and is expected
to have a significant effect on how metrology business in
Rwanda develops now and in the future. The results and
recommendations from the survey are as follows:

28
 4 . F indings

Diagram 4: Metrology strategy

Major recommendations:
■ While there are a number of recommendations that need to be addressed, the enactment of the new

metrology law is going to address several challenges; the implementation of this law should be fast-tracked.
The Ministry of Finance (MINCOFIN), the Ministry of Trade and Industries, the Ministry of Public Service and
Labour (MIFOTRA) and the Rwanda Standards Board should support this fast-tracking effort.
■ Just as important as implementing the new law is the need to separate legal metrology from the rest.

Preferably, legal metrology inspections should be transferred to RICA or any other appropriate institution but
working standards should be calibrated by the NMI.
■ As seen in the results of the RDT, the whole process in terms of international recognition – especially in

BIPM and its activities – is not addressed. The Metrology Division should therefore seek membership in the
CGPM and develop and post its CMCs in BIPM’s KCDB.
■ The scope of accreditations should also be increased in terms of numbers and range of the accredited

services.
■ The RSB should also develop and implement guidelines for the designation of private metrology institutions

as a lot of work is not covered by the RSB’s Metrology Division.

29
4 . F indings

4.2.5. Legal Metrology Major recommendations:

■ There is need to separate legal metrology from

The Metrology Division at the RSB includes both scien- the rest to avoid conflicts of interest. It is pro-
tific, industrial and legal metrology. A number of legal posed that legal metrology inspections be trans-
metrology services are offered by the division. These ferred to RICA or any other suitable regulator, but
include pre-package verification, verification of fuel dis- the calibration of inspectors’ standards for trace-
pensers, verification of energy meters by sample-based ability purposes should remain at the RSB (the
techniques and verification of weighing scales used for NMI).
trade and others. ■ There is no national system of training and li-

censing legal metrology inspectors. A system is

Carrying out tasks at the RSB’s Metrology Division is very needed to meet the current level of work and
challenging. First, it is difficult to demonstrate that the increased trade activities.
division’s work follows the free from conflict of interest ■ There is a need to put in place a proper system to

principle. The new law does not explicitly address this, designate and supervise the legal metrology of
but the head of metrology at RSB is aware of the issue private practitioners (Designated Institutions –
and agrees that it must be addressed head on by top DI).
management. Further challenges include the creation of ■ Rwanda should use its membership in OIML

provincial offices, capacity building of legal metrology more intensely by increasing participation in
inspectors, use of only type-approved trade instruments, OIML’s work. As Rwanda is rapidly integrating its
designating institutions to help in some areas currently trade with regional and international partners, it
not covered, being part of a consultative forum and more should strive to attain full membership in order
involvement in OIML work. The current, detailed status to participate in the technical work of OIML.
of legal metrology and the resulting recommendations
are as follows:

Diagram 5: Legal metrology strategy

30
 4 . F indings

4.2.6. Inspection Major recommendations:

■ There is need to fast-track the operationalization

Along with standards development, inspection activities of RICA in order to avoid inspection gaps that
were among the first to be established at the Rwanda may pop up in due course – especially as the RSB
Bureau of Standards, now the Rwanda Standards Board. concentrates on its legal mandates.
Although officially inspections are still carried out by the ■ Once RICA is fully operational, priority should be

RSB, the GoR has created RICA to carry out most inspec- given to being accredited to the ISO 17020 stan-
tions except for specialized ones which are done by other dard in order to gain international recognition
institutions. and also create efficiency in its operations.
■ Training inspectors and keeping them current on

In the year 2020, the Director General (DG) and the head the latest technology developments (especially
of the inspections department have been nominated by on the products they inspect) is of the utmost
the cabinet. Their tasks are to recruit other staff and op- importance.
erationalize the institution. ■ The creation of a regulatory framework described

in section 4.1.1. should be implemented in order

However, as RICA is preparing for operation, quality to coordinate the activities of inspection bodies.
inspections are still done by the RSB until RICA is ful- ■ RICA should consider designating private inspec-

ly ready to start its work. Therefore, the results shown tion bodies to help cover the scope beyond its
here reflect the inspections that are still done at the RSB. means.
Nonetheless, some of the recommendations below are
broader and address issues that RICA will face once it is
operational.

Diagram 6: Inspection services strategy

31
4 . F indings

4.2.7. System Certification As regards system certification, the GoR created space
for private certification companies to offer these services
Certification is another of the technical divisions making in Rwanda through a ministerial instruction enacted
up the RSB. It consists of two units: the System Certifi- in 2012. As a result of this regulation, a number of for-
cation Unit and the Product Certification Unit. Its current eign-based certification bodies have tried to establish
scope of system certification standards is limited to the offices in Rwanda. These include Bureau Veritas, Inter-
Quality Management System (QMS), Hazard Analysis and tek, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), Det Norske
Critical Control Points (HACCP), Food Safety Manage- Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNV GL) and Technischer
ment System (FSMS) and Environmental Management Überwachungsverein (TÜV).
System (EMS) standards. So far, 27 companies have been
certified to different system standards. The majority of The following chart shows the state of system certifica-
these certifications are based on the HACCP standard. tion in Rwanda. Recommendations are listed on the next
The number of certified systems is expected to tremen- page.
dously increase due to Rwanda’s decision to make HAC-
CP certification mandatory for companies producing
food for human consumption.

It is worth noting that the RSB’s HACCP scheme has

been accredited since 2019 by RvA of the Netherlands.
Also, there are plans to gain accreditation according to
other standards including the different schemes of food
safety management systems.

Diagram 7: System certification strategy

32
 4 . F indings

Major recommendations:
■ The RSB should develop a formal competence scheme of auditors and assessors. A corresponding plan

should be put in place to ensure that auditors, assessors, lead auditors and lead assessors are trained, regis-
tered and maintain their competence.
■ MINICOM should create a forum through which all bodies offering system certification services meet regu-

larly to discuss matters pertaining to their business.

■ The RSB’s System Certification Unit should consider collaboration with registered private certification bodies

operating in Rwanda and perhaps outsource some activities where it lacks competence.
■ It is evident that the system certification clientele is growing, yet only one standard scheme is

accredited (HACCP). Therefore, more emphasis should be put on accrediting additional standard schemes,
starting with those where there is high demand.

33
4 . F indings

4.2.8. Product Certification Major recommendations:

■ The Government of Rwanda should enact legisla-

RSB’s Product Certification Unit, which reports to the tion which designates both public and private
Certification Division, offers product certification ser- product certification bodies. The scope of these
vices. The scope of product certification at the RSB cov- bodies should clearly be indicated, and priority
ers foods and beverages, construction materials, cosmet- should be given to products falling under manda-
ics, paper-based products and other industrial products. tory certification.
Certified products are given a standardization mark ■ When designating private certification bodies,

(S Mark) to be displayed on the product. priority should be given to products that the RSB
does not have the capacity to certify.
At the time of writing this report, the RSB Product Certi- ■ The training and registration of the RSB’s Product

fication Unit had certified 586 products. These products Certification Unit’s auditors and lead auditors
enjoy market access in Rwanda and beyond, most notably should be given the attention it deserves.
in the EAC. In addition to the African market, these prod- ■ Accreditation of the Product Certification Unit to

ucts have been put on markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle ISO/IEC 17065 should be viewed as a priority.
East, North America and South America.

Unlike system certification, no other bodies – either pub- Note: The income from product certification services is
lic or private – are involved in product certification in high enough to cover the operations of the unit, but the
Rwanda and there is no legislation to this effect. It is ev- data could not be entered into the RDT because the excel
ident that the capacity of the RSB’s Product Certification sheet input cells are not designed to include this data.
Unit to satisfy market demand is low, as a number of do-
mestic products are yet to be certified. Products which lie
outside the scope of food, construction and chemicals are
especially affected. These include electronics, electrical
products and processing machines to mention but a few.

The product certification RDT results are shown below.

Diagram 8: Product certification strategy

34
 4 . F indings

4.2.9. Technical Regulations When this committee is created and operationalized, it

will go a long way in streamlining the technical regula-
The process of developing technical regulations is still tions scheme in Rwanda.
fragmented and scattered throughout different minis-
tries and agencies. The development and administration RICA, the RFDA and the RSB do not have strategic plans;
of regulations to deal with sanitary and phytosanitary this is a common challenge in RDT results.
measures that were formally in a department under the
Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources have since In terms of notification and the dissemination of infor-
been transferred to RICA, while those in the health sector mation on technical regulations, standards, conformity
have been transferred to the RFDA. The Rwanda Utilities assessment and metrology, four national enquiry points
and Regulatory Agency (RURA) develops and administers have been created for this purpose:
most regulations in transport, utilities and ICT sectors.
However, most of these regulations refer to Rwandan ■ a National Enquiry Point related to technical barriers
standards or to other standards if no Rwandan standard to trade (WTO/TBT NEP) located in the Rwanda
is available. Standards Board
■ an Enquiry Point related to food safety located under
The RSB also develops mandatory standards which are the Ministry of Health
on the same level as technical regulations. These manda- ■ an Animal Health Enquiry Point housed under the
tory standards are used for mandatory certification. ministry in charge of agriculture
■ a Plant Health Enquiry Point housed under the
Rwanda does not have a harmonized technical regula- ministry in charge of agriculture
tion framework that defines how different regulations in
the country are identified, developed and implemented. The ministry in charge of trade acts as a Notification Au-
However, the current Quality Policy specifies the estab- thority.
lishment of such a framework called the National Techni-
cal Regulation Committee (TRC). The TRC has been given The assessment noted that no impact assessment is
the following responsibilities: done when developing technical regulations as required
by WTO/TBT agreements. Also, market surveillance ac-
■ coordinating activities related to technical regulation tivities are not coordinated, and training of inspectors is
development and implementation amongst the regu- not formally planned for and facilitated as such. The RDT
latory authorities and the NQI results chart on the next page reflects these survey find-
■ ensuring that the regulatory authorities follow the ings.
defined technical regulation framework in developing
and implementing technical regulations
■ ensuring that all the regulatory authorities consistent-
ly meet the requirements of the WTO-TBT Agreement,
the WTO-SPS Agreement and other trade agreements
■ overseeing the review of technical regulation already
in the statute books by the regulatory authorities in
order to revise, confirm or withdraw such regulations
and to make sure that they comply with the Technical
Regulation Framework

35
4 . F indings

Diagram 9: Technical regulation framework

Major recommendations:
■ Fast-track the establishment and operationalization of the TRC.

■ While developing technical regulations, it is important to consider carrying out technical regulations impact

assessments and involve stakeholders as much as possible.

■ RICA, the RSB and the RFDA should develop a harmonized and coordinated strategic plan as regards techni-

cal regulations, identification, development and implementation.

■ There is need for RICA, the RFDA, the RURA and the RSB to develop a harmonized market surveillance plan

that is based on risk assessment and make a commitment to implement it together.

■ Apart from the RSB, which is accredited in a few selected scopes as mentioned earlier in this report, the other

bodies are not accredited. Accreditation to relevant standards should be considered for all regulatory bodies
and the service scopes applicable.

36
 5 . R ecommendations

5. Recommendations
Rwanda’s quality infrastructure has come into existence This chapter is an outline of the recommendations that
at an impressive speed considering that the first insti- the Government of Rwanda, through its different minis-
tution to be established has been around for just eigh- tries and agencies, should consider implementing in or-
teen years. However, there is still some way to go before der to further improve its quality infrastructure.
Rwanda’s quality infrastructure can be categorized as a
well-structured and functioning QI which is apt to meet The recommendations in this paper are in no way bind-
the needs and demands of both the public and private ing; the GoR can either choose to implement them or not.
sectors. They are voluntary and aimed at improving the operation-
al environment of Rwanda’s QI if they are implemented.

5.1.
In order to elevate Rwanda’s quality infrastructure to the
5.4.
The Technical Regulations Committee should ensure
next level, the GoR should set up and operationalize the that technical regulations development follows common
following frameworks listed in the Rwanda Quality Pol- guidelines, meets regional and international require-
icy 2018: the National Quality Council, National Quality ments and that the division of work between regulatory
Testing Laboratory Forum, National Technical Regulato- authorities and the NQI is optimally coordinated.
ry Committee and National Certification Bodies Forum.
As their set-up and operationalization now seem cum-
bersome, the GoR could consider a phased approach
towards achieving this. The Technical Regulatory Com-
5.5.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry should adopt and do-
mittee should also be charged with coordinating the ac- mesticate the three East African Community SQMT Act
tivities of Rwanda’s inspection bodies. regulations on the designation of testing laboratories,
implementation of technical regulations and product

5.2.
The Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 lacks an implementa-
certification since these regulations are already in use in
Rwanda.

tion framework. Therefore, the Ministry of Trade and In-

dustry together with all stakeholders mentioned in the
Rwanda Quality Policy 2018 should develop a strategic
5.6.
For purposes of achieving financial autonomy in the fu-
plan to implement the policy. ture, the RSB, the RFDA and RICA should be allowed to
retain a percentage of the money they accrue from their

5.3.
While there is a law establishing the RSB, the Ministry of
services for a certain period of time, perhaps five years.
The accumulated money can then be used to devel-
op capacity in research for standards development and
Trade and Industry should develop separate legislation to analysis, as well as to retain and attract the best skilled
cover the details of standardization, conformity assess- workforce.
ment and accreditation just as before when legislation
was developed for metrology.

37
5 . R ecommendations

5.7.
For quick coordination and operation the RSB, the RFDA
5.11.
The RSB, the RFDA and RICA should develop a joint com-
and RICA should consider the creation and operation- munication strategy that includes targeted audiences and
alization of more manageable active inter-institutional join efforts to ensure that the strategy is implemented.
steering committees. These committees can meet often, The RSB has had a communication strategy in the past,
plan and even carry out activities of common interest to- but it was not implemented fully due to limited funds.
gether.

5.8. 5.12.
A separate budget should be set aside by the RSB, the
The RSB should review its capacity building plan with a RFDA and RICA for better coordination and enforcement
focus on having a pool of competent trainers, auditors, of mandatory standards and technical regulations. Also,
assessors, lead auditors, lead assessors and technicians product registration must be made compulsory and no
who are able to serve the industry and transfer com- product should be allowed to be on the market in Rwan-
petence to newly recruited staff. The RFDA and RICA da if it has not been registered.
should develop capacity building plans to cater for the
existing, new and future employees. Some of the options
like twinning arrangements with fellow highly developed
QI institutions either in Africa or beyond should be ex-
5.13.
The RSB should plan and budget for the provision of
ploited to help develop their competence. The twinning resources to conduct lessons, lectures and training on
arrangements can include on-site trainings, coaching and SQMT principles and practices. These efforts should be
internships. It is important for the three QI institutions incorporated in the newly developed curriculum for up-
to reserve a part of their annual budgets to cater for the per primary and lower secondary school subjects.
capacity building of their staff.

5.9. 5.14.
The Accreditation Focal Point (Accreditation Desk) in
The scope of accreditation is still narrow across all the MINICOM should be strengthened and be restricted to
RSB’s services. Similarly, the accreditations given to test- accreditation matters until the time when the RAB is es-
ing and metrology are based on old versions of standards. tablished.
Therefore, the RSB should increase the number and
scope of the accredited services offered. These new ac-
creditations should also be upgraded to cover the new
versions of standards.
5.15.
There is a need for RSB’s Standards Division to develop
its capacity and be able to participate in more ISO com-

5.10. mittee work as a P-member.

The RSB’s metrology laboratories, some of which are ac-

credited, offer calibration services. For this reason, the
RSB’s Metrology Division should plan to become a mem-
5.16.
An implementation framework needs to be put in place
ber of General Conference on Weights and Measures – at to coordinate the different organizations that are devel-
least at the associate level. The accredited laboratories oping standards in a way that ensures that those stan-
should also be encouraged to post their Calibration and dards pass through the RSB before being approved for
Measurement Capabilities in the Key Comparison Data- use. Intensive awareness-raising needs to be done to let
base of the International Bureau of Weights and Mea- these organizations know of the process of development
sures. and approval of Rwandan standards. Lastly, a mechanism
for designating these organizations should be put in place
and awareness of these designations should be raised.

38
 5 . R ecommendations

5.17.
It is helpful that the process of purchasing standards has
5.23.
The RSB should also develop and implement guidelines
been improved to include an online option. However, to designate private metrology institutions as a lot of
improvement needs to be done in terms of providing a work is not covered by the RSB’s Metrology Division.
credit card payment option which is also available to pur- These tasks would otherwise be outsourced to these pri-
chasers in foreign countries. vate institutions.

5.18.
There is a serious need to define and communicate the
5.24.
There is no national system to train and license legal
scope of analysis to be undertaken by the different pub- metrology inspectors. A coordinated national system is
lic and private testing laboratories as per their mandates. recommended considering the current level of market
Otherwise, a risk of duplication of resources and un- demand and the legal challenges that are likely to arise.
necessary competition is imminent. This issue is already
starting to manifest itself between the RSB and the RFDA
in food testing. 5.25.
Rwanda is a corresponding member of OIML. There is a

5.19.
The RSB’s materials testing laboratories analyse some
need to upgrade Rwanda’s membership to full member-
ship and then participate in the technical work of OIML
as the country is rapidly integrating its trade with regional
electrical and construction materials using American and international partners.
Society for Testing Materials but also International Elec-
trotechnical Commission standards. There is therefore
a need to start developing accreditable market-orient-
ed sectoral schemes based on the IEC, the OIML and
5.26.
There is a need to fast-track the operationalization of
such like and later have laboratories accredited to those RICA in order to avoid inspection gaps that may pop up
schemes. in due course, especially as the RSB concentrates on its
legal mandates.

5.20.
ISO 15189 is not very well-known in the health sector, 5.27.
yet it is an important standard – especially for organiza- Once RICA is fully operational, priority should be given
tions which own and operate medical laboratories. The to being accredited to the ISO 17020 standard in order to
Ministry of Health should consider using it as a require- gain international recognition and also create efficiency
ment in medical laboratory approval. in its operations.

5.21.
MINICOM and the RSB should fast-track implementa-
5.28.
The RSB’s System Certification Unit should consider col-
tion of the newly enacted metrology law. laboration with existing private system certification bod-
ies and perhaps outsource some activities where it has

5.22.
There is a need to separate legal metrology from the
little or no competence.

other divisions. Preferably, legal metrology inspections

should be transferred to RICA or any other appropriate
institution, but conformity with legal metrology working
standards should be ensured by the RSB (the NMI).

39
5 . R ecommendations

5.29.
It is evident that the system certification clientele is grow-
ing, yet only one standard scheme is accredited (HACCP).
Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on accredit-
ing more standard schemes starting with those which are
necessary for clients like the QMS and the FSMS.

5.30.
The Government of Rwanda should enact a regulation for
the designation of both public and private certification
bodies. The scope of these bodies should clearly be in-
dicated, and priority should be given to products falling
under mandatory certification where the RSB does not
have certification capacity.

5.31.
Accreditation of the Product Certification Unit to ISO/
IEC 17065 should be taken as a matter of priority consid-
ering the products certified and the markets these prod-
ucts access.

5.32.
RICA, the RSB and the RFDA should develop a harmo-
nized strategic plan on technical regulations develop-
ment and implementation. While developing technical
regulations, it is important to consider carrying out iden-
tification and impact assessment of technical regulations.

5.33.
There is need for RICA, the RFDA, the RURA and the RSB
to develop a harmonized market surveillance plan that is
based on risk assessment and commit to implementing
it together.

5.34.
The RSB should post acquired external accreditations
and certification on its website so that the public, clients
and potential clients can be informed of them.

40
 6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6. Annex – RDT Data Tables

6.1. Accreditation

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Accreditation strategy 0.0

Legal entity 0.7
Autonomy 0.0
Legal standing of accreditation 2.5
Governance 0.0
Financial sustainability 0.7

Chief executive officer 0.0

Organizational structure 0.3
Management and personnel 0.5
Premises 3.0
Equipment 3.0

Lead assessors 0.3

Assessors and technical experts 0.7
Specialist technical committees 0.0
Quality system documentation 0.0
Assessment process 1.3
Approvals process 0.0
Accreditation and follow-up 0.0

Training system 0.0

Liaison with regional organizations 0.0
Liaison with international organiza- 0.0
tions
International recognition 0.0
Coordination within the QI system 0.8

41
6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.2. Standards

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Standards strategy 0.0

Legal entity 3.3
Autonomy index 2.5
Legal standing of national standards 4.0
Governance 2.3
Financial sustainability 2.2

Chief executive officer 3.3

Organizational structure 4.0
Management and personnel 2.5
Premises 4.0
Equipment 2.7

Standard for a standard 2.7

Technical committees 3.3
New project approval and work pro- 3.7
gram
Committee process 3.3
Relevance of standards 2.7
Coherence of standards 4.0
Public comment 4.0
National standards 2.0
National adoptions 2.7
Standards information 3.0

WTO TBT Inquiry Point 4.0

Training system 3.3
Liaison with international organiza- 2.5
tions
Liaison with regional organizations 4.0
Coordination within the QI 3.0
Standards development organizations 0.0
Stakeholder engagement 3.0

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 6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.3. Testing

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Testing services strategy 0.0

Designated test laboratories 4.0
Test laboratories for export market 4.0
Test laboratories for the health sector 2.0
Legal entity 4.0
Governance 2.0
Testing services scope 2.0
Financial sustainability 2.0

Top management 3.0

Organizational structure 4.0
Management and personnel 2.3
Premises 3.8
Equipment 3.3

Quality management system docu- 4.0

mentation
Proficiency testing 3.5
Preassessment for accreditation 2.7
Initial assessment for accreditation 2.7
Accreditation 3.0

Recognition at national level 3.0

Recognition at international level 1.0
Coordination within the QI 0.0

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6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.4. Metrology

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Metrology strategy 0.0

Legal entity 3.3
Autonomy 3.0
Legal standing of national 4.0
measurement standards
Financial sustainability 2.7
Governance 2.0

Chief executive officer 3.8

Organizational structure 2.7
Management and personnel 2.5
Premises 3.5
Equipment 2.7
Quality system documentation 4.0

Metrologists 2.0
Interlaboratory and key comparisons 3.5
Calibration and measurement capa- 0.3
bility (CMC)
Calibration service 2.3

Training system 1.7

Liaison with regional organizations 2.5
Liaison with international organiza- 0.0
tions
Coordination within the QI 2.0
Designated institutes (DIs) 0.0
Stakeholder engagement 2.5

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 6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.5. Legal Metrology

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Legal metrology strategy 0.0

Legal entity 3.3
Governance 2.0
Financial sustainability 2.0

Director 3.0
Organizational structure 2.0
Management and personnel 2.0
Equipment 2.7
Quality management system 3.3
Premises 1.0

Legal metrology technical staff 3.0

Calibration and verification services 1.7
Market surveillance 2.0
Training system 2.5
Type approval of measuring instru- 1.0
ments

Liaison with regional organizations 2.7

Liaison with international organiza- 1.0
tions
Coordination within the QI 3.3
Designated organizations 2.0
Consultative forum 1.3

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6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.6. Inspection

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Inspection services strategy 0.0

Designated inspection bodies 1.7
National inspection bodies for the 2.0
regional markets
Legal entity 4.0
Impartiality and independence 2.0
Financial sustainability 2.3

Top management 4.0

Organizational structure 3.3
Management and personnel 0.8
Premises 4.0
Equipment 2.7

Inspection scheme(s) scopes 2.0

Quality management system 2.3
Accreditation 1.0
Inspection process 3.0
Selection and training of inspectors 2.0

Recognition at national level 2.0

Coordination within the QI 0.5

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 6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.7. System Certification

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

System certification strategy 0.0

Designated system certification 2.3
bodies
Certification bodies for the export 2.0
markets
System certification schemes to up- 4.0
grade SMEs
Training and registration of auditors 2.0
and lead auditors
Legal entity 4.0
Governance 3.0
Financial sustainability 2.0

Top management 3.0

Organizational structure 2.7
Management and personnel 2.5
Premises 4.0
Equipment 4.0

System certification scopes 3.3

Quality management system docu- 4.0
mentation
Certification process 3.0
Surveillance process 4.0
Accreditation 3.7

Recognition at national level 3.0

Recognition at international level 2.0
Coordination within the QI 0.5

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6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.8. Product Certification

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Product certification strategy 0.0

National certification body for the 1.5
home and regional markets
Designated product certification 1.7
bodies
Product certification schemes to up- 3.0
grade SMEs
Legal entity 4.0
Governance 3.0
Financial sustainability 0.0

Top management 3.0

Organizational structure 2.7
Management and personnel 2.3
Premises 4.0
Equipment 4.0

Product certification scopes 3.0

Quality management system docu- 3.0
mentation
Accreditation 1.7
Certification process 3.6

Recognition at national level 4.0

Coordination within the QI 0.0

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 6 . A nne x – R D T D ata Tables

6.9. Technical Regulations

Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3: Pillar 4:

Legal and institutional Administration and Service delivery and External relations
framework infrastructure technical competency and recognition

Technical regulation framework 0.0

Technical regulation coordination 2.5
office
Regulatory authorities 1.3

Director 4.0
Organizational structure 3.3
Management and personnel 2.3
Premises 4.0
Equipment 2.7
Quality system 1.0

Developing technical regulations 0.0

Premarket approvals 3.3
Market surveillance 1.3
Sanctions 4.0
Training system 2.3

Information systems 3.5

Liaison with regional organizations 3.0
Liaison with international organiza- 4.0
tions

49
R eferences

References
East African Community SQMT Act of 2006

Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy II

Law N° 003/2018 of 9 February 2018 Establishing Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority and Determining its Mission,
Organisation and Functioning

Law N° 31/2017 of 25 July 2017 Establishing Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection
Authority and Determining Its Mission, Organisation and Functioning

Law N° 50/2013 of 28 June 2013. Law Establishing Rwanda Standards Board and Determining its Mission,
Organisation and Functioning

Law N° 70/2019 of 10 January 2020 Governing Metrology in Rwanda

Ministerial Instructions N° 17/2012 of 10 July 2012 Regulating Private System Certification Bodies

Rwanda Quality Policy of 2010

Rwanda Quality Policy of November 2018

World Bank/PTB Rapid Diagnostic Tool

https://www.rsb.gov.rw

https://www.rwandafda.gov.rw

https://www.minicom.gov.rw

https://www.minecofin.gov.rw

https://www.statistics.gov.rw

50
R eferences

51
A bbre v iations and A cron y ms

Abbreviations and Acronyms

African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA
African Electrotechnical Standardization Commission AFSEC
African Organisation for Standardisation ARSO
American Society for Testing Materials ASTM
Bureau International des Poids et Mesures BIPM
Calibration and Measurement Capabilities CMCs
Communauté Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs CEPGL
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COMESA
Conformity Assessment CA
Designated Institutions DI
Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle DAkkS
Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd DNV GL
Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen DQS
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ
Director General DG
East African Community EAC
Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy II EDPRS2
Environmental Management System EMS
Food Safety Management System FSMS
Government of Rwanda GoR
Growth Domestic Product GDP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points HACCP
Information and Communications Technology ICT
Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre IPRC
International Accreditation Forum IAF
International Electrotechnical Commission IEC
International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation ILAC
International Organization for Standardization ISO
Key Comparison Database KCDB
Laboratoire d’ Analyses des Denrées Alimentaires, Médicaments, Eaux et Toxines LADAMET
Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources MINAGRI
Ministry of Environment MoE
Ministry of Health MoH
Ministry of Infrastructure MININFRA
Ministry of Public Service and Labour MIFOTRA
Ministry of Trade and Industry MINICOM
National Certification Bodies Forum NCBF
National Export Strategy II NES2
National Metrology Institute NMI
National Quality Council NQC
National Quality Infrastructure NQI
National Quality Testing Laboratory Forum NQTLF
National Standards Bodies NSBs
National Strategy for Transformation NST1

52
 A bbre v iations and A cron y ms

National Technical Regulatory Committee NTRC

Non-Governmental Organizations NGOs
Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale OIML
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB
Quality Infrastructure QI
Quality Management System QMS
Raad Voor Accreditatie RvA
Rapid Diagnostic Tool RDT
Rwanda Accreditation Services RAS
Rwanda Agriculture and Livestock Inspection and Certification Services RALIS
Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority RFDA
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority RICA
Rwanda Quality Policy RQP
Rwanda Standards Board RSB
Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency RURA
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures SPS
Small and Medium Enterprises SMEs
Société Générale de Surveillance SGS
Standards, Conformity Assessment and Metrology SCAM
Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology and Testing SQMT
St Joseph Integrated Technical College SJITC
Standards Stakeholders Forum SSF
Sustainable Development Goals SDGs
Technical Barriers to Trade TBT
Technical Regulation Committee TRC
Technischer Überwachungsverein TÜV
United Nations UN
United States Dollar USD
World Bank Group WBG
World Trade Organization WTO

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N otes

Notes

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IM
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Published by
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Bundesallee 100
38116 Braunschweig
Germany

Responsible
Susanne Wendt
+49 531 592-9030
[email protected]
www.ptb.de/9.3/en

Text
Patrice Ntiyamira

Title image
© iStock

As of June 2020

56
Contact
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
International Cooperation
Susanne Wendt
Phone +49 531 592-9030
Fax +49 531 592-8225
[email protected]
www.ptb.de/9.3/en