First African president of ISO picks Nairobi base

Businessman Eddy Njoroge will set up office in Nairobi while serving as the first African to head the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) in 70 years.

The 162-member-countries organisation unanimously backed the 66-year-old for the top position during the ISO General Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, last year. He will serve for two years between January 2020 and December 2022.

The former KenGen CEO said he would operate from Nairobi when he replaces Canadian John Walter as the president of the global standard’s body.

Mr Njoroge, who was elected unopposed last October, said he would advocate inclusion of views from developing countries on standards formulation.

This, he said, would promote adoption of standards as well as enhance devotion to set standards by the developing countries.

"Standards formulation should no longer be preserve of the developed countries that are later forced on developing countries keen on exporting goods to developed world," he said. “This will enable developing countries, among them Kenya to participate in international trade as their goodswill have met standards they participated in making.”

Local products have in the past been barred from accessing western markets over failure to conform to European standards.

Founded on February 23 1947, the organisation promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.