The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional trading block presently consisting of fourteen member countries and covering an area roughly between the equator and the southern tip of Africa. SADCMET is the SADC Cooperation in Measurement Traceability. Its full members are the fourteen signatories of the SADC Treaty (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) of Egypt, Kenya and Uganda are Associate Members and the NMI of Ethiopia has also applied for Associate Membership. SADCMET is a full member of the Joint Committee of Regional Metrology Organizations and the BIPM (JCRB) and Egypt and South Africa are signatories of the global MRA between NMIs. This paper discusses the role SADCMET is playing in facilitating the development of metrology in Africa, the integration of African countries into the emerging network of global MRAs and its role in overcoming Technical Barriers to Trade. SADCMET is also participating in the preparation of a comprehensive project proposal for creating an internationally credible network of institutions and facilities in every SADC member country in the wider area of “Standardization, Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Metrology” (SQAM). |