Cities across the SADC region have the potential to be smarter as a result of steps being taken by member states to meet global standards currently championed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to make the world interoperate perfectly, according to a senior SADC official.

Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax says she agrees with the "Standards Make Cities Smarter" theme of the 2017 World Standards Day, which took place last week, as it rings true for most of the cities of the SADC region.

"I believe that more still needs to be done to make our cities smarter than they are at the moment. We also concur with the message from the ISO that sufficient fresh water; universal access to cleaner energy; the ability to travel efficiently from one point to another; a sense of safety and security are the kinds of promises modern cities must fulfil if they are to stay competitive and provide a decent quality of life to their citizens. Standards setting has become a norm worldwide and most of the SADC member states have set up various bodies and institutions dedicated to standards setting."

Tax is pleased to note that the Kingdom of Lesotho has achieved what she described as a significant milestone towards the realisation of a dedicated national standards institution.

"It is our fervent hope that soon this institution will be commissioned, and facilitate the SADC region a full complement of standards bodies, and ensure that the standards of the region are maintained and matched to the international standards. The presence and operation of standards are never appreciated until they are absent. If trade forms the backbone of our economies, standards are the nerves that make it all speak to each other."

Tax adds that SADC has manages to maintain international standards that are central to smart city plans in the region through its SADC Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Cooperation structures.

"As the region embarks on the journey to industrialisation, standards setting cannot be detached from the industrialisation process. For the SADC region to fully industrialise, the Secretariat is conscious of the fact that standards have to be applied in every step of the way to ensure, among other things, the sustainability of the entire hard and soft infrastructure invested into industrialisation. Standards will also be important for the maintenance and interoperability of the systems that will be put in place to realise the targeted outcomes of industrialisation. With standards as an integral part of the activities of the SADC region, especially as it industrialises, it is our strong belief that more and more cities in the SADC region will indeed be smarter."

The ISO, along with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), used World Standards Day to highlight and encourage collaborative efforts by experts worldwide in developing technical agreements that are published as international standards.

The three organisations recommend use of the standards to achieve smooth and integrated smart city development.