Concept of Standardisation
Senior 1 · Entrepreneurship
Concept of Standardisation
Lesson 4 of 5
25 min
Mbabazi buys maize from farmers around Nyagatare and sells it to a flour mill across the border in Uganda. (An illustrative case.) Her one sack of maize meets standards at four levels:
Definition
Level of standardisation: the size of the group that agrees and uses a standard: a single company, a country, a region or the whole world.
Example: a bakery's own recipe (company level) or ISO 216 for paper (international level).
Definition
International standard: a standard agreed through a worldwide organisation and meant for use in every country.
Example: ISO 216 (paper sizes); ISO 9001 (quality management).
Definition
Regional standard: a standard agreed by the countries of one region, such as the East African Community, so that goods can move freely between them.
Example: EAS 2, the East African Standard for maize grains.
Definition
National standard: a standard approved by a country's national standards body for use in that country. In Rwanda these are Rwanda Standards (RS), approved by RSB.
Example: a Rwanda Standard (code RS) setting requirements for a food product sold in Rwanda.
Definition
Company standard: a standard a business sets for itself, to make its products, processes and services the same every time.
Example: "Every loaf weighs 400 g and every oven is checked each morning."
| Level | Who makes the standards | Facts to know |
|---|---|---|
| International | ISO (most subjects), IEC (electrical), ITU (telecommunications), Codex Alimentarius (food, set up by FAO and WHO) | ISO was founded in 1947, is based in Geneva, has national standards bodies from about 170 countries as members, and had published over 25,000 standards by 2024. |
| Regional | EAC: the East African Standards Committee, made up of the partner states' national standards bodies, including RSB. Africa: ARSO | Under the EAC's standards law of 2006, partner states must adopt a declared East African Standard as a national standard within six months and withdraw any national standard that conflicts with it. ARSO, the African Organisation for Standardisation, was founded in 1977 and Rwanda is a member. |
| National | Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) | Develops Rwanda Standards, tests and certifies products (the S-Mark), and looks after measurement (metrology). It works with ISO, ARSO and the EAC. |
| Company | The business itself | Often stricter than the national standard, to protect the brand's reputation. |
Tip
Think of circles inside circles. A company sits inside a country, the country inside a region, the region inside the world. The wider the circle, the more people and countries have agreed the standard.
Worked example 1: which level?
| Standard | Level | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 216, paper sizes | International | Made by ISO for use worldwide |
| EAS 46, dry beans | Regional | Agreed by the EAC partner states |
| A Rwanda Standard (RS) for porridge flour | National | Approved by RSB for Rwanda |
| A hotel's rule that rooms are ready by 2 p.m. | Company | Set by one business for itself |
Worked example 2: the six-month rule
Suppose the EAC declares a new East African Standard on 1 March 2026. Partner states must adopt it within six months.
Count six months from 1 March: April, May, June, July, August, September. So Rwanda must adopt it as a Rwanda Standard by 1 September 2026, and withdraw any Rwandan standard that conflicts with it. From then on, a trader in Nyagatare and a mill in Uganda work to the same rules.
Warning
A higher level is not a "better" standard. The level tells you how widely a standard is agreed, not how strict it is. A company standard can be stricter than the national one, and a national standard may add local requirements to an international one.
Eye on Tech, "What is the ISO (International Organization for Standardization)?" (about 3 minutes). Watch for what ISO is, who its members are, and what it means for a business to be "ISO certified".
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: the Nyagatare maize case, the levels diagram, the tables, the worked examples and the practice items. This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
