Standardization and the promotion of the creative economy in Africa

Generally, creative economy is an economic system based on the use of creative imagination to increase the value of ideas. The creative economy includes businesses and individuals involved in producing cultural, artistic, and design goods and services. 

It consists of creative professionals and enterprises that inspire us with artistry or take powerful, original ideas and transform them into practical and often beautiful goods. 

It also includes organizations that provide a venue for artist to share their work with public such as museums, art galleries and theaters. 

Therefore, it includes activities one does not instinctively associate with creativity such as apparel, toy and furniture manufacturing, all industries that depend on good design[1]. 

Standardization plays a very significant role in promoting the creative economy as it provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are fit for their purpose[2]. More to this subject is discussed in the paragraphs below.

 

Starting from the out shell, the creative economy which is including the arts, culture and heritage, faces different challenges as according to the African Organization For Standardization (ARSO), those challenges includes; Non-competitive and poor quality of cultural products due to poor quality of the products, poor workmanship, inferior quality of materials, shorter durability, poor packaging and labeling, inconsistent sizing. Safety issues due to poor physical safety- e.g. sharp edges, pin-points and weight, toxicity of raw materials and finished products, sanitary and phytosanitary concerns.

 

Furthermore, the lack of access to global markets, which is compounded by lack of well-established regional value chain, the lack of investment in education, lack of domestic cultural policies, limited assurance to talented people of decent income, intellectual property rights issues due to poor copyright and trademark protection  and etc..[3]

 

As far as standards are concerned, they have a very important role when it comes to promoting arts, culture and heritage in ensuring quality and fitness for purpose as the products needs to fit the needs of the user and the optimality of those parameters is determined by the standards.

Guarding against factors that affect the health and safety of consumers as the safety of both producers and consumers is of great importance, enabling variety reduction by balancing between too many and too few varieties in the best interest of both manufactures and consumers.

 

Ensuring compatibility of products and economies of scale by ensuring the suitability of processes, products or services to be used together under specific conditions to fulfill the relevant requirements, without causing unnecessary interactions, rationalizing manufacturing process by eliminating or reducing wasteful materials or labor.

 

Finally, qualities of goods purchased and services received for the convenience of the consumers, provide workable basis of for acceptance or rejection of goods or consequential disputes, offering starting points for research and innovation and development for further improvement of goods and services, setting rules, guidelines, frameworks and promote innovation and etc..[4]

 

It’s in that perspective that different strategies were developed by African countries both on the continental and regional level as well as at the national level to solve the above cited problems and so that the continent can efficiently benefit from the role of standards in promoting arts, culture and heritage in Africa. Among those strategies one can includes:

 

Creating awareness programs like the African day of standardization, the ARSO made in Africa Expo programs, ARSO certification programs the ARSO standardization harmonization programs, the made in Africa qualification criteria and the standardization strategy for the 4th industrial revolution.[5] 

 

At the national level for example in Rwanda, different strategies were put in place like the promotion of the made in Rwanda policy, and different other programs were put in place like the ongoing policy making corning the drafts for standards that are publicized for public comments by Rwanda Standard Board (RSB) concerning the conservation of cultural heritage which includes; general requirements for design of showcase for exhibition and preservation of cultural property.

 

Additionally, the specifications of location, construction and modification of buildings or rooms intended for storage or use of heritage collections and finally, the requirements for transportation of movable cultural heritage items.[6]

 

It should be stressed that the creative economy is very crucial for sustainable development in Africa as to the creation of large number of employment as there are more opportunities in the creative economy of Africa which are not explored due to different constraints including those cited above.

 

More to that, the creative economy in Africa will impact increase in the level of tourism on the continent as with the implementation of the strategies that are being put in place this will boost the level of tourism on the continent as the art, cultural and heritage of the African continent will be promoted by the implanting the right and good standards.

 

Additionally, this will contribute to the increase of the taxable capacity of African citizens as the more people will be engaging in that creative economy will be earning income that will be taxable and at the end benefit the local government to invest in more development projects that contributes to the sustainable development of the country, promoting innovations and new technologies which will lead to the production of good and standardized products that are competitive on the global market.

 

Finally, it will also affect the Increase in the level of production and efficiency in production and reduction of wastage of resources, the creative economy will also help to the increase of the continental domestic product which by the time will effectively achieve the eradication of poverty on the continent.

 

In a nutshell, the creative economy is very crucial for the sustainable development of the African continent but that sustainable development can only be achieved if the standardization of the arts, cultural and heritage embedded in the creative economy are effectively implemented as they play an important role in the promotion of the creative economy developed as seen above.

 

 

 References

 

[1] https://www.kcet.org/show/artbound/what-is-the-creative-economy

 

[2] https://www.rsb.gov.rw/

[3] Workshop on sharing experiences and the theme in context by ARSO of 29 April 2021

[4] Ibid  

[5] ibid

[6] https://www.rsb.gov.rw/