The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), a global consortium comprised of various national chemical association groups, with the stated mandate “to help the global chemical industry improve financial performance and reputation by tackling global issues and helping the industry to improve continuously its performance…” has announced a 4 year program (“Program”) focusing on four African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Cote Côte d’Ivoire.[1] The Program is designed to assist the countries with their movement toward, and ultimately implementation of, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling (GHS). At present, only three African countries, South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia, have implemented GHS.
The stated project activities, per the ICCA, are:
1. Developing and implementing GHS legislation in the four countries;
2. Establishing a system to educate governmental representatives, industry and other interested parties in GHS; and
3. Providing resources for implementation, such as training and guidance.
The Program began its life on 04 April 2022 as a collaboration between the ICCA, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the European Union (EU), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the European Union Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Interestingly, UNITAR has been involved in assisting countries seeking to implement GHS for quite some time – most recently with several countries in South America.
On a related note, Rwanda’s Standards Board has issued its Draft Rwandan Standard (DRS) No. 419 “Labeling of Chemicals – Requirements” standard. m4 Global Consulting LLC is evaluating this Draft and will publish an update in the coming days.
[1] About ICCA. Retrieved from https://icca-chem.org/about/.
