Chairman, SON Governing Council, Mrs Evelyn Ngige, made this
known during a visit by the governing body of SON to its facilities at Ogba,
Lagos.
Ngige detailed that three out of the 37 standards were
reviewed; eight were newly-developed, while 26 had been adopted for existing
international standards.
According to her, the approved standards which cut across
various sectors of the Nigerian economy are in line with the approved Nigerian
Industrial Standardisation Strategy.
She said that 10 of the standards were developed for
chemical technology, in particular for plastic piping products, thermoplastic
pipes, and human and synthetic hair extension.
“It is important to state that SON recently developed
testing capacity at the Ogba laboratory complex for the testing of plastics
from raw materials to finished products.
“The test would to a large extent provide opportunities for
manufacturers and dealers in plastic products to be competitive locally as well
as take advantage of the AfCFTA to improve the nation’s economy,’’ she said.
Ngige said the next 17 approved standards were in the
mechanical sector and they focused on agriculture to support Federal
Government’s economic diversification agenda, which include standards for
irrigation and crop protection equipment.
“We have also approved Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS)
for use in the food sector, liquor, spirits, primary production of milk,
candies, fruit nectars, soya drinks and alcoholic bitters sectors.
“Two new and unique standards have also been approved for
masonry and carpentry services to meet the yearnings of Nigerians for quality
in Nigeria’s building and construction sector,’’ Ngige said.
In his remarks, Director-General of SON, Malam Farouk Salim,
said the rejection of Nigerian goods overseas was largely because of failure to
undergo standard procedures locally before exporting.
Salim said that the standards that were approved were
painstakingly developed through stakeholders’ inputs and considerations.
He added that the move indicated that the standards body was
working very hard to ensure that products not only met standards within the
country, but were suitable for export.
“If exporters come through us and they follow the standards
of our country and they follow the standards of the country to which they are
exporting, then they should not have a problem.
“In December, we will have another council meeting to
approve more standards.
“Every standard we put out there is strategic to AfCFTA,
because when we establish our standard, it is expected for people who are
expecting our goods to look at the standards and then know that the products
approved are up to standard.
“Some of the standards approved have to do with hair and now
people in that line of business know that there is a standard for that kind of
product.
“We have standards for food. When exporters ship goods that
have our stamp on them, the recipient country would realise that the products
meet set standards,’’ Salim said.
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