Standards Alliance Organizes Three-Part Workshop Roadshow in West Africa
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), through its public-private partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
called the Standards Alliance, organized a three-part workshop series in West Africa on March 31 – April 5, 2017. The roadshow featured one-day workshops in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal. A group of U.S.
private-sector speakers provided workshop audiences in each country with presentations on standards-related topics relevant to three key sectors: transportation infrastructure, water, and energy.
The event provided an opportunity to share perspectives and increase engagement between U.S. and participating West African economies. More than 140 participants attended the workshops collectively, which featured presentations by U.S. speakers from the
American Water Works Association (AWWA), ASTM International, and Western Transportation Institute (WTI),
as well as the national standards bodies from each of the participating countries: Association Sénégalaise de Normalisation (ASN, Senegal), CODINORM (Cote d’Ivoire), and
Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
To broaden the reach of the event, ANSI partnered with the USAID-funded Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems (ASSESS) project to include a small number of participants from other West African countries. Regional participants included members of
the national standards bodies from Benin, Guinea, Mali, Sudan, and Togo.
During the workshop series, ASTM International signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with CODINORM and ASN. These agreements will grant CODINORM and ASN free access to more than 12,000 ASTM standards as well as access to technical experts
to aid in the adoption of ASTM standards.
Launched on March 31, 2017, in Accra, Ghana, the roadshow was co-hosted by the GSA and attended by 50 participants. The first workshop featured presentations by ANSI, ASTM International, AWWA, Energy Commission of Ghana,
General Electric, GSA, Ghanaian Ministry of Roads and Highways, Ghana Water Company Ltd.,
WaterHealth International, and WTI.
Next, the Standards Alliance participants traveled to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, for a workshop co-hosted by CODINORM on April 3, 2017. This event was attended by 54 participants and included presentations by ANSI, ASTM International, AWWA,
Deloitte, CI-Energies, CODINORM, and WTI.
The roadshow concluded in Dakar, Senegal, on April 5, 2017, with a workshop co-hosted by the Senegalese Ministry of Commerce and ASN. This final workshop was attended by 35 participants and included presentations by ANSI, ASN, ASTM International, AWWA,
SENELEC, Sénégalaise des Eaux (SDE), and WTI.
Materials
Cote d’Ivoire
Ghana
Senegal
PHOTOS
Cote d’Ivoire
Ghana
Senegal
