𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝟏𝟕𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐂 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄

𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝟏𝟕𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐂 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒

𝐆𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐄, 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐀 – [Wednesday, 16 September] – Botswana will host the 17th African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) General Assembly and Meetings from 21–25 September 2026 at the Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel and Convention Centre in Gaborone.

The Meetings, hosted by the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS), will bring together accreditation bodies, technical experts and quality infrastructure stakeholders from across Africa.

The Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Honourable Tiroeaone Ntsima, is expected to officially open the AFRAC Meetings on Monday, 21 September 2026. The Official Opening Ceremony will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 10:35 a.m.

The gathering comes at a defining moment for Africa’s quality infrastructure agenda as countries seek to strengthen regional and international trade, industrialisation and economic integration, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Accreditation provides confidence in the competence of organisations that test, inspect and certify products, services and systems. Through internationally recognised accreditation arrangements, it supports the acceptance of conformity assessment results across borders, facilitates trade and contributes to the protection of public health, safety and the environment.

Speaking ahead of the Meetings, AFRAC Chair Celestine Okanya said:

“As Africa continues to position itself as a credible and competitive player in regional and global trade, particularly under the momentum of the AfCFTA, the role of accreditation as the invisible architecture of trust becomes ever more critical.”

The programme will include meetings of AFRAC technical and governance structures covering certification, calibration and testing, inspection, medical testing, marketing and communication, and the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), culminating in the 17th AFRAC General Assembly.

The Meetings will provide AFRAC members and stakeholders with an opportunity to review progress, exchange experiences and consider priorities for strengthening accreditation and quality infrastructure across the continent.

AFRAC has expressed its appreciation to the Government of the Republic of Botswana and SADCAS for hosting Africa’s accreditation community and supporting the advancement of quality infrastructure on the continent.

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐂

The African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) is the regional cooperation body for accreditation in Africa. It works to strengthen and harmonise accreditation systems across the continent and facilitate the recognition of accredited conformity assessment results. Through its Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), AFRAC supports confidence in testing, calibration, inspection and certification, contributing to trade facilitation, consumer protection and Africa’s economic integration.

ENDS

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭:

𝐌𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐛𝐢

𝐓𝐞𝐥./𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐀𝐩𝐩: +𝟐𝟔𝟕 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝟑𝟐𝟖𝟓𝟖

𝐓𝐞𝐥: +𝟐𝟔𝟕 𝟑𝟏𝟑 𝟐𝟗𝟎𝟗

𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥: 𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐛𝐢@𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬.𝐨𝐫𝐠