Events

ACI

August 24, 2022

Africa

This workshop provided an opportunity for building code standards and construction industry experts from Africa and the U.S. to learn about concrete standards and share international best practices for adopting standards that support concrete structural design and growth in Africa. In addition, the event introduced and built awareness of ACI global culture, products, and services that can be adapted to the African terrain. More than 125 participants representing various agencies in Africa and the U.S. attended the workshop

ASTM International (ASTM) and American Petroleum Institute (API)

June 24-29, 2023

Africa

Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire

Eight West African focal point representatives from each project country, including two petroleum technical experts from industry and the National Standards Body (NSB) participated in the ASTM Petroleum U.S. Study Tour, which took place in Denver, Colorado on the sidelines of the ASTM’s D02 June 2023 Committee Week. The Study Tour included active participation in the D02 technical committee meetings and a site visit to Peak Petroleum Testing Services, where participants inspected various testing equipment, witnessed practical demonstrations, and spoke with lab technicians about testing methods for petroleum products in the U.S.

Participants attended over fifteen meetings at ASTM’s D02 committee on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants and networked with various U.S. stakeholders including ASTM’s senior leadership. As part of the visit, West African representatives had the opportunity to witness ASTM’s International standards development process firsthand and also presented on their Petroleum sectors. They observed the active engagement of members, including open debate/ consensus building and voting process, an essential part of ensuring quality standards and relevance. This was a significant part of the project as most African stakeholders do not get the opportunity to participate in person on ASTM’s TC meetings (due to funding constraints) even though it is the most recognized and referenced ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO) on the continent. The project aimed to break this barrier to participation in international standards development processes with the hope that this exposure would highlight the significance of attending such meetings to share input and promote future attendance. At the end of the Study Tour, a debriefing session was held to capture lessons learned and success stories from the 3-year project which officially closes in September 2023.

The focal points were also joined by visiting experts from Angola, Togo, and Kenya, underlining the strong buy-in from regional stakeholders to work on international petroleum harmonization efforts.

ASTM International (ASTM) and American Petroleum Institute (API)

March 20-23, 2023

Africa

Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D’Ivoire

This workshop was a continuation of capacity-building activities under ASTM’s project. Project focal points, members of the national petroleum committee in Senegal, and other relevant oil and gas sector representatives came together to discuss applicable ASTM and API standards and testing protocols in a neutral forum. The event also included site visits to SAR Refinery—Senegal’s primary downstream refinery—and Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) Laboratory in Dakar, where the project focal points inspected various testing equipment, witnessed practical demonstrations, and spoke with lab technicians about testing method challenges for petroleum products.

The project focal points also shared presentations on the realized benefits of the program to date, and discussed the current state of the petroleum industry in each country

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Pivot Clean Energy

March 17-18, 2022, and March 21-22, 2022

Togo and the Gambia

The workshop was designed to promote the concept of clean cooking with bioethanol cookstoves and fuels as sustainable alternatives to traditional biomass (fossil fuels)—a predominant energy source in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. The overall objective was twofold: to provide practical knowledge on bioethanol fuels, and to discuss how to address the lack of access to clean cooking solutions—an issue more than 4 billion people around the world face on a regular basis.

The workshop provided an avenue for stakeholders to meet and discuss a way forward for promoting bioethanol fuels and establishing practical commitments in Togo and the Gambia. It highlighted the importance of policy, standards development, trade implications, practical implementation, and the stakeholders that are vital participants in these processes. The event enabled U.S. and African experts to share experiences, industry best practices, and international standards for furthering bioethanol fuel use in both countries.

Pivot Clean Energy

May 12, 2022

Africa

The webinar is part of a five-session virtual training series launched to provide African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) members with capacity-building support on bioethanol for household energy, specifically clean cooking fuel. The first session centered on exploring bioethanol as an alternative clean cooking fuel: It provided the necessary background to introduce standards and policies around bioethanol in future webinars; highlighted the benefits of bioethanol for multiple sectors including agriculture, sustainable energy, and the environment; and discussed potential impacts on climate change, gender, health, and economic issues. The webinar also served as an opportunity for U.S. experts in the bioethanol industry to share their experiences and provide guidance on developing this new market segment in sub-Saharan Africa.

ASTM International and The American Petroleum Institute (API)

March 1-3, 2022

Ghana

This workshop provided an opportunity for petroleum standards experts from West Africa and the United States to share international best practices for gasoline, diesel, and engine oil standards and certification schemes. The three-day workshop built awareness and understanding of relevant international standards for petroleum quality, safety, and management systems. More than 16 participants representing various agencies from West Africa and the U.S. attended.

ASTM International & The American Petroleum Institute (API)

July 3-8, 2022

Nigeria

In July 2022, ASTM held a four-day workshop in coordination with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) which included a visit to SON’s laboratory complex, as well as a tour of OVHEM Lab and SGS Independent Lab. The private sector lab tours included demonstrations of relevant test methods and where followed up by a detail discussion of ASTM test methods, WTO training, Introduction to ASTM standards development process, and introduction of planning for U.S. Study Tour.

The workshops:

• Highlight the benefits of harmonized standards.
• Improve direct access to shaping the content of standards through participation in ASTM/API activities.
• Introduce, share examples, and make suggestions, on how to implement and make use of the World Trade Organization technical barriers to trade agreement decisions and principles related to international standards, good regulatory practice and national quality infrastructure.
• Review of relevant ASTM standards and adaptation to national or regional standards.

Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) & African Organisation For Standardisation (ARSO)

2021-2023

Africa

Personal Care Product Council (PCPC) hosted six webinars in the ongoing cosmetics training series developed to support the harmonization of African personal care and cosmetics standards. These online trainings included events on cosmetics frameworks and enforcement strategies, the importance of international standards, and case studies from South Africa and Saudi Arabia on cosmetics enforcement and implementation. These activities target participants in ARSO Technical Committee 40 (TC40) on cosmetics. The trainings continue to support knowledge sharing on best practices for the development of an African standards framework for cosmetics that will support consumer and industry interests.

Business Regulatory Review Agency (BBRA)

September – October 2020

Zambia

Regional Standard Body and Government Support

The workshop series targeting 92 government officials from 23 Zambian ministries, took place virtually with the first and second cohort of officials attending trainings on September 21 – October 2, 2020 and the third and fourth group of officials attending on October 13 – 23, 2020. The trainings were designed to promote best practices in the development of RIA reports, a decision-making tool that's used to appraise the potential impacts of new and existing regulations or policy options on the business environment and foreign investments. The workshops also provided systematic training on the key steps for performing RIA and highlighted training strategies for participants to use as they lead their individual ministries and colleagues in performing RIAs.

The training featured both live presentations via WebEx and pre-recorded videos and reading materials, which were provided by RIA experts Nathan Frey of RSS Group, Jason Ighani of Kite Global, and Brandon de Bruhl of the University of Southern California. Targeted group exercises provided hands on guidance and opportunities to critically analyze existing RIA reports in Zambia. These sessions emphasized practical steps on how to write and structure a RIA report, gather qualitative and quantitative data from all relevant stakeholders, conduct consultations, and effectively utilize cost-benefit and cost-effective analysis.