UNIDO promotes Nigerian products to meet standard quality

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has unveiled the criteria for Nigeria National Quality Awards to enhance product standards and increase productivity.

Jean Bakole, UNIDO Regional Director, while unveiling the programme in Abuja on Thursday, said it would promote business excellence in Nigeria and West African region.

Bakole, who was represented by Chima Ezedimma, Senior Programme Officer, UNIDO Nigeria, said the ECOWAS Commission adopted rules of organising a quality award by the ECOWAS Commission member states in 2013.

He added that 47 criteria were adopted as the criteria for the national quality award in Nigeria, stressing that the criteria were harmonised with all ECOWAS countries and Mauritania.

He said the National Quality Award was a highly prestigious award all over the world which started in Japan, as the Deming Award in 1951.

Bakole said Quality Award globally was a criteria-based award.

“It serves as business indicator within global business communities, and Nigeria is not an exception, with the level playground the current drive on the ease of doing business.

“The present government is championing it; the Quality Award will spur Nigeria’s competitiveness in trade both locally and internationally, and this will definitely improve the Nigerian economy on a sustainable level,’’ he said.

Speaking earlier, Hassan Shaukal, Chief Technical Adviser, UNIDO National Quality Infrastructure Project, said the programme was a funded by the EU and implemented by UNIDO.

Shaukal added that UNIDO was supporting Nigeria in developing the missing institutions in the country such as the accreditation services, which is very important for any country’s international trade.

He said that as part efforts of promoting a quality culture in Nigeria, a Quality Award National Committee (QANC), was inaugurated in 2016, with members drawn from private and public institutions.

He said the committee has the implementation of Nigeria’s first national quality award as its primary objective.

Shaukal said UNIDO was also supporting government on the establishment of certification index of products and service of the country.

While expressing concern that the certification index in Nigeria is less than one per cent, he said that UNIDO was also helping Nigeria to develop products certification structure as well.

“We are developing these infrastructures in a way that every institution must be self-sustainable.

“We have developed national quality award committee, the committee comprises of public and private institutions and organised private sector.

“This aim is to make the Nigeria’s National Quality award committee self-sustained.

“We are developing the award committee in a way that there will be no questions mark about the credibility and competency of the award,” he said.

He said that there were proven facts that the quality award improves the economy of the country.

According to him, the award supports the quality culture in the country; it improves the quality of the products and the organisations making the production.

“The award increases productivity which means that cost will reduce and the enterprises will get benefits of competitive advantage,” he said.