The national standards body of Congo signed a memorandum of understanding with ASTM International on May 18. Guillaume Ligongo Maliba, director of standardization management, Office Congolais de Controle, and James A. Thomas, president, ASTM International, signed the MOU at ASTM International headquarters at the conclusion of the three-day Open House for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Following the Open House, Office Congolais de Controle, the national standards body of Congo, signed a memorandum of understanding with ASTM International. Shown signing the MOU are James A. Thomas, president, ASTM International, and Guillaume Ligongo Maliba, director of standardization management, Office Congolais de Controle.

The purpose of ASTM International’s MOU program is to promote communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies, promote knowledge of each other’s standards development activities, facilitate greater worldwide participation in the ASTM standards development process and facilitate the development of national standards that will aid each country’s health and safety as well as environmental and economic conditions.

The Office Congolais de Controle is the 49th national standards body to sign an MOU with ASTM International. Other African countries whose national standards bodies have signed MOUs are Egypt (2002), Ethiopia (2005), Kenya (2005), Mauritius (2005), Morocco (2005), Nigeria (2004), South Africa (2003), Uganda (2003), Zambia (2004) and Zimbabwe (2002). //