How the ePing SPS & TBT Platform is Enhancing Transparency for International Trade
Every day, governments around the world introduce new regulations to protect human, animal and plant health, safeguard consumers, and protect the environment. While these measures serve legitimate public policy objectives, they can also affect international trade if exporters are unaware of changing requirements. Timely access to regulatory information is therefore critical for businesses seeking to access, maintain, and expand their presence in international markets.
It is against this backdrop that the National Workshop of the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) Project on Improving the Use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform to Enhance Transparency for Market Access is taking place in Nairobi from 1st to 3rd July 2026.
The workshop follows the official launch of the STDF-funded project, "Improving the Use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform to Enhance Transparency for Market Access (STDF/PG/1000)," held in Nairobi in December 2025. The project is being implemented in five beneficiary countries—Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda—with the objective of increasing the uptake and effective use of the ePing SPS & TBT Platform to promote transparency, predictability, and regulatory coordination.
As Kenya's National Accreditation Body, KENAS plays an important role in strengthening the country's quality infrastructure by accrediting competent conformity assessment bodies. Through accreditation, KENAS builds confidence in the competence and impartiality of organisations that undertake testing, calibration, medical laboratory services, inspection, certification, proficiency testing, and reference material production. This confidence supports regulators, industry, consumers, and trading partners, while facilitating the acceptance of conformity assessment results across borders.
KENAS is represented at the workshop by Chief Manager, Ms. Lucy Namu. As a member of Kenya's National Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), KENAS contributes its expertise on accreditation and conformity assessment procedures, supporting the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and promoting internationally accepted best practices.
The ePing SPS & TBT Platform, developed jointly by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), is an online notification and information system that enables governments, businesses, exporters, and other stakeholders to track proposed and newly adopted Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) measures across the world. Users can subscribe to notifications relevant to their products and export markets, allowing them to anticipate regulatory changes and respond in a timely manner.
The Nairobi workshop aims to strengthen participants' capacity to effectively use the platform, gather user feedback to enhance its functionality, and develop country-specific training approaches that address national priorities. By increasing awareness and utilisation of ePing, the initiative is expected to improve transparency, foster regulatory cooperation, and strengthen engagement between government institutions, the private sector, and other stakeholders involved in international trade.
For KENAS, participation in the workshop provides an important opportunity to contribute to national discussions on trade facilitation and quality infrastructure while reinforcing the value of accreditation in supporting conformity assessment. Competent and internationally recognised conformity assessment services reduce unnecessary duplication of testing, inspection, and certification, enhance confidence in products and services, and facilitate access to regional and global markets.
