• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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12 companies receive MANCAP certification from SON

SON (1)

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Rivers/Bayelsa State office, Port Harcourt, has awarded 12 companies with the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) Certification. While 10 of these firms are in Rivers State, two are in Bayelsa.

Osita Aboloma, director general/chief executive, SON, commended the companies for their quality consciousness and efforts in complying with the requirements of relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards.

Aboloma encouraged manufacturers to embrace the product certification schemes SON offered as this would strategically position Nigerian products for export and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

He said MANCAP was a mandatory product certification scheme put in place to ensure all locally manufactured products conform to the requirements of the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) before sale for sale or export.

The DG, who was represented by Ololade Ayoola, state coordinator, Rivers/Bayelsa,  stated that the programme started in 2006 with the aim of ensuring compliance of made-in Nigeria products with minimum requirements of Nigerian Industrial Standards,  thereby promoting fair competition at both domestic and international markets as well as safeguarding the lives of consumers. He said the ultimate result of that was economic and industrial development of Nigeria.

He noted that a number of studies carried out in developed countries such as Denmark, Germany, UK, France and Canada had investigated the connection between standards and economic growth and found that standards accounted for 1 to 4 percent of the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said research revealed that a majority of organisations would primarily use standards because they were required to do so either by the government, market or their customers or by legislation. He said the same group of organisations responded that the use of standards offered a number of advantages such as acquiring knowledge and best practices, easier communication with customers as well as suppliers, higher quality and increased efficiency,

Ofon Udofia, executive secretary/CEO of the  Institute of Export Operations & Management ( IEOM),  said the SON’s MANCAP scheme for locally manufactured products and the Standards Organization of Nigeria Conformity Assessment  Programme (SONCAP ) scheme for imported goods should be seen and used as tools for industrial development and trade facilitation.

 “It reduces technical barriers to trade and opens markets by making it easier to export and import products,” he stated.

The awardee companies appreciated the efforts of the SON in developing and improving the quality products manufactured locally.