INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEES i) The Secretariat should expedite the operationalisation of a sub-committee on technical regulations. Standardization and Quality Assurance Committee (SQA) (e) On testing and quality assurance it was decided that: Decisions 78. Council made the following decisions: i) (a) On standards harmonisation it was decided that: i) ii) iii) A strategic plan to guide the implementation of the SQA policy should be developed taking into account the common challenges facing Member States in quality infrastructure and to meet the requirements of the Customs Union; Member States be urged to liaise with each other for the purpose of recognition of each other’s test reports and certificates while a scheme of mutual recognition is being developed. (f) On mutual recognition of accreditation and reduction of trade barriers, it was decided that: i) Detailed, technical regulations should be developed for mutual recognition of technical standards, with a view to eventually establish a COMESA regional accreditation centre. The mechanism for the development and implementation of COMESA standards should be aligned with the SQA activities; and ii) There is need for standardisation of road infrastructure in order to promote interconnectivity in the COMESA region The 65 electrical standards be adopted. Trade and Customs Committee (b) On the metrology and legal metrology it was decided that: i) ii) Decisions Council made the following decisions: Member States and the Secretariat should avail resources for the implementation of the identified activities to enable recognition of metrology services regionally and internationally; and There should be full participation of COMESA at the Intra-Africa Metrology System as a sub-regional metrology organization. 79. On Trade Developments: (a) Programmes to increase intra-COMESA trade should be upscaled, through interventions such as annual trade fairs, promotion of value addition and regional value chains, and building of soft and hard infrastructure, and removal of Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs); (c) On accreditation it was decided that: i) (b) The Secretariat should continue work on preference utilisation, in order to better disaggregate trade data; Member States be urged to liaise for the purpose of recognizing each other’s accreditation activities. (c) Work on trade flow analysis, including a comprehensive data base on both industrial and agricultural products and value (d) On technical regulations it was decided that: 22