This archive report was first published on 22 September 2019.
On September 22, 2019, Kenyan Eddy Njoroge formally took over as the President of International Organization for Standardization (ISO), marking a historic milestone as the first African to ascend to the top position in over 70 years.
Njoroge succeeded John Walker of Canada, who handed over the baton to him at an inauguration ceremony held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre in South Africa.
"I am fully prepared and up to the task ahead of championing the use and benefits of standards in our everyday lives," said Njoroge.
As the new President, Njoroge has pledged to focus on redressing trade imbalance, using standards to power industrial growth, and enhancing participation of developing countries in formulating standards.
"ISO Standards by themselves represent global unanimity, and by using them, technical barriers to trade are reduced, production costs are lowered, opportunities for economies of scale are achieved, and local companies access markets globally, thereby reinvigorating trade while ensuring inclusive growth," he said.
Njoroge, a former Managing Director of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), was elected to the position during a summit in Geneva, Switzerland in September 2018.
With a vast experience spanning energy, telecommunications, nature conservation, financial markets, banking, and finance, Njoroge is well-equipped to lead ISO, which was established in 1947 to promote worldwide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. The organization operates in 162 countries.
