Proclamation No. 102/1998

Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia Establishment Proclamation

WHEREAS, economic development and technological progress towards enhancing the quality of life of the society necessitate the Promotion and application of Quality, Metrology and Standardization;

WHEREAS, in order to further strengthen the measures to be taken in this regard, it has become necessary to re-establish the government organ entrusted with the responsibility for Standardization and Quality Promotion;

NOW, THEREFORE, in accodance with Article 55(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows:

1. Short Title

This Proclamation may be cited as “Quality and Standards Authority of Ethiopia Establishment Proclamation No. 102/1998.”

2. Definitions

In this Proclamation, unless the context otherwise requires;

1.  "Quality Promotion'' means any activity aimed at developing and improving and organization's capability through optimization of resources during all product phases to meet quality requirements and objectives:
2.  "Quality" means the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs;
3.  "Standardization" means an activity which consists of processes of formulating, issuing and implementing Satandards;
4.  "Standard'' means a document established by consensus containing technical specifications or other criteria to be used consistently as a rule, guideline or definition of characteristics to ensure that products are fit for an intended purpose;
5.  "Product" means a result of activities or processes which may include service, hardware, software, processed materials or a combination thereof,
6.  "Process' means a set of interrelated resources and activities which transform inputs into outputs;
7.  "Ethiopian Standard" means any standard formulated and approved by the Authority;
8.  "International system of Units (SI)" means the coherent system of units adopted and recommended by the General Conference of Weights and measures (CGPM);
9.  "Etalon" means material measure, measuring instrument, reference material or measuring system intended to define, realize, conserve or reproduce a unit or one or more value of a quantity to serve as a reference;
10. "Certified Reference Materials" means reference material, accompanied by a certificate, one or more of whose property values are certified by a procedure which establishs tractability to an accurate realization of the unit in which the property values are expressed, and for which each certified value is accompanied by an uncertainty at a stated level of confidence;
11. "Measuring Instrument' means a device intended to be used to measure quantities, alone or in conjunction with supplementary device(s);
12. "Quality Mark" means the certification mark specified by the Authority and used to denote conformity with Ethiopian Standards;
13. "Certificate of Conformity" means a document providing confidence that a duly identified product or process is in conformity with a specific standard;
14. "Conformity Assessment System' means any activities which has its own application prodedure and management method, concerned with determining directly or indirectly that relevant requirements are fulfilled;
15. "Consensus' means genral agreement, characterized by the absence of sustained opposition to substantial issues by any important part of the concerned interests and by a process that involves seeking to take into account the views of all parties concerned and to reconcile any conflicting arguments;
16. "Person" means any natural or juridical person.

3. Re-Establishment

1.  Quality and Standard Authority of Ethiopia (hereinafter referred to as "the Authority" is hereby re-established as an autonomous Federal Government organ having its own legal personality.
2.  The Authority shall be accountable to the Prime Minister.

4. Head Office

The Authority shall have its head office in Addis Ababa and may establish branch offices as appropriate.

5. Objectives

The objectives of the Authority shall be:

1.  to promote and assist the establishment of appropriate Quality Management practices as an integral and yet distinct management function in the social and economic sectors;
2.  to assist in the improvement of the quality of products and processes through the promotion and application of Ethiopian Standards;
3.  to promote and co-ordinate standardization at all levels in the country;
4.  to establish a sound national meteorological system as a basic structure for economic development;
5.  to strengthen, promote and enhance the reliability of testing laboratories nation-wide.

6. Powers and Duties

The Authority shall have the following powers and duties:

1.  to solely approve, and declare Ethiopian Standards as well as maintain National Etalons;
2.  to formulate, approve, declare and issue Ethiopian Standards for a general or specific application as may be necessary.
3.  to recognize as an Ethiopian Standard, any Standard established by a national regional or international standardizing body as may be necessary;
4.  to formulate quality promotion and standardization policy and strategy in line with the development programme and objectives of the country and, implement and follow-up the same;
5.  to establish a sound national meteorological system through:

    (a) the maintenance of national Etalons and Certified Reference Materials and their disseminations;
    (b) the introduction of the International System of Units (SI) as the sole system of measurement of physical quantities;
    (c) verification and/or calibration of measuring instruments.
6.  to establish and operate a National Conformity Assessment System;
7.  to establish and operate testing laboratories for the purpose of assisting conformance of products to relevant requirements, assisting industrial and agricultural researches and supporting quality promotion and standardization efforts at all levels in the country.
8.  to specify a Quality Mark and Certification of Conformity which shall be of such design and contain such particulars as may be prescribed.
9.  to grant renew, suspend or cancel a license for the use of the quality Mark or Certificate of conformity;
10. to order, subject to prior notice, the closure of factories or business undertakings or the cessation of operations, or ban the movement of products, where the products and/or processes do not conform to the relevant compulsory Ethiopian Standards;
11. to establish a documentation and information Center for the provision of quality and standards related information;
12. to popularize the need and importance of Quality and Standards among users and the general public.
13. to represent the government and participate in all conferences, seminars or meetings regarding standardization.
14. to establish and maintain working relationships with quality promotion and standardizing bodies, professional associations and quality societies, certification bodies and other similar organizations in the exercise of its funtions;
15. to delegate its powers and duties, in part to domestic and foreign organizations as necessary, to the extent necessary for efficiently implementing Ethiopian Standards:
16. to collect fees and charges for the services it renders;
17. to own property, enter into contract, sue and be used in its own name; and
18. to carry out such other similar activities necessary for the attainment of its objectives.

7. Organization of the Authority

The authority shall have:

1.  A board of Management (hereinafter "the Board'')
2.  A General Manager to be appointed by the Government; and
3.  the necessary staff.

8. Members of the Board

The Board shall have a chairperson and not more than six members to be appointed by the Government.

9. Powers and Duties of the Board

1.  to determine policy matters and exercise an overall direction and supervision of the activities of the Authority;
2.  to approve and ensure, on its own level, the implementation of the short and long-term plans as well as the annual work programme and budget of the authority;
3.  to approve the annual activity report of the Authority;
4.  to approve Ethiopian Standards;
5.  to prescribe Quality Mark fees and other fees and charges to be paid for the services the Authority renders;
6.  to establish policy Advisory Committees as may be necessary;
7.  to decide on other matters relating to the management and administration of the Authority when submitted to it by the General Manager of the Authority.

10. Meeting of the Board

1.  The Board shall meet at least once every month;
2.  There shall be a quorum where the majority of the members are present at the meeting of the Board;
3.  Decision of the Board shall be passed by majority vote; provided, however, that the chairperson shall have a casting vote in case of a tie;
4.  Without prejudice to the provisions of this Article, the Board may prescribe its own rules of procedure;

11. Powers and Duties of the General manager

1.  The General manager shall be the chief executive office of the Authority and shall, subject to the general directions of the Board, plan, direct and administer the activities of the Authority.
2.  Without limiting the general