SON DG Urges Anambra industrialists, Importers To Embrace Culture Of Standards
Manufacturers and importers in Nnewi Industrial town of Anambra have been called upon to take their businesses higher by ensuring that their products met the relevant industrial standards.
Mallam Farouk Salim, the Director General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) made the call at a one day Sensitisation/ Awareness Creation Workshop for Stakeholders in Nnewi, Anambra on Thursday.
The theme of the workshop was “Expanding the Frontiers of Local Manufacturer through Standardisation”
Salim whose message was delivered by Mr Mathias Bassey, the Director, Anambra Regional Operations said only standardisation could position for national acceptability and global competitiveness.
He said the quality assurance process of inspection, sampling and testing which ensured products conformed with minimum industrial standards.
“Standardization gives the consumer confidence of the quality of products being purchased and value for money spent which is an attestation that the products can favorably compete globally.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that the SON has put in place policies and initiatives that are targeted at expanding the frontiers of the local manufacturer via standardization and quality assurance activities,” he said.
He said some of the policies included the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme, Market Surveillance, Inspection/Compliance Activities, Standard Development, SON-Conformity Assessment Programme and Product Registration.
In his lecture, Mr Onucheyo Enebi, the Director National Metrology Institute, Enugu said standardisation enhanced customers’ confidence, producers’ profitability and national economic prosperity.
Enebi said non compliance to industry standards could result in product recall which had huge cost and often led to the shutdown of firms.
In a reaction, a participant, Mr Kenneth Anyadioha called for simplification if the registration process as the rigour involved in obtaining the certifications was one of factors scaring people away.
Earlier in opening remark, Chief Emeka Duru, Senior Special Assistant to the Director General said the workshop was the third in Anambra in the last one year.
Duru who represented the DG said Nnewi was crucial to Nigeria’s industrialisation drive and there was need give investors all the support they needed for global competitiveness.
“If you remember, there was a time when products from Japan, China and Taiwan were regarded as substandard, but now they produce for the rest of the world because they embraced standardisation.
“We must do what they did in order to be like them, we must do the right thing at all times,” he said.
