Industrial countries rely on many standards and technical regulations for their
trade-related activities. If developing countries wish to enter the global market,
they must be able to count on standards-related facilities including access to standards
and technical regulations, metrology, testing, quality assessment, certification
and accreditation.
These elements are the components of what we call a National Quality Infrastructure
– QI. Current global trade is based mainly on technology-intensive manufactured
goods, not raw materials. Each and all of the QI components are essential
to production and trade, and they are closely related. There cannot be a sound QI
and thus a sound basis for global trade, without each and all of them, even though
they may exist at different degrees of development.
If developing countries want to attract foreign investments, they must keep in
mind that infrastructure – and this includes quality infrastructure – is one of the key
factors foreign investors will consider.