Governance & compliance

Institutional governance framework

The gateway preserves the mandates of AfCFTA, ARSO, AFRAC, PAQI and national authorities. Deployment is procurement-neutral and configurable to local sovereignty requirements.

AfCFTA policy alignment

Operationalizes AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods, Annex 6 on Technical Barriers to Trade. Articles 6 (standardization), 8 (conformity assessment), 9 (accreditation).

ARSO standards reference

Recognises ARSO harmonised African Regional Standards and supports nationally adopted standards.

AFRAC accreditation reference

Recognises AFRAC MRA signatories. No parallel accreditation system is created or implied.

PAQI quality-infrastructure framework

Operates under the PAQI continental quality-infrastructure umbrella covering metrology, standardization, accreditation and conformity assessment.

National authority sovereignty

National competent authorities retain certificate authority, regulated-product scope, fee structure and data residency.

Private-sector CAB participation

Open to accredited certification bodies, laboratories, inspection bodies and field professionals under transparent scope-based routing.

Data governance

Data residency options at national and regional level. Per-jurisdiction encryption keys and data-handling policies.

Security

OAuth2 / mTLS authentication, signed transactions, tamper-evident certificate ledger, role-based access control.

Auditability

Comprehensive audit logs and downstream verification endpoints for institutional and customs review.

Deployment options: procurement-neutral

AfCFTA-aligned shared gateway

Single pan-African interface operated under formal AfCFTA-endorsed governance.

Country-branded gateway

Operated under the brand of the national competent authority.

Corridor pilot

Bilateral or multilateral corridor implementation between participating national authorities.

Public-private partnership

Joint deployment with national authority and ASC / GIG Tech / Outspection.

Tripartite structure with local partner

Local prime delivery with platform engine subcontracted.

Technology licence

Licence of platform engine to national authority for internal operation.

Subcontracted implementation under local prime

Standard procurement-neutral subcontracting model.

NoteStandards and accreditation mandates remain with competent institutions. No parallel accreditation system. National authority retains certificate authority.