The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has emphasised the importance of collaboration with stakeholders to strengthen trade through standards.
The Director General, Ifeanyi Okeke, made this call during the 2025 World Standards Day celebration in Lagos.
He noted that the theme for this year’s celebration, “Shared Vision for a Better World, Spotlight on Sustainable Development Goal 17” underscores the significance of partnerships in achieving sustainable development goals.
Okeke emphasised that collaboration, cooperation, and partnership are essential drivers of progress and that standards are the common language that makes such partnerships possible.
He stressed that Nigeria’s development goals, including food security, industrialisation, energy transition, and trade expansion, require cooperation between government, private sector, academia, and civil society.
The SON Director General highlighted the importance of national quality infrastructure in determining Nigeria’s level of development.
He emphasised that conformity assessments cannot be done alone and that SON needs collaboration, partnership, and cooperation to ensure that imported and exported products meet required standards.
To boost exports of locally produced goods, Okeke mentioned SON’s certification program, SONEXCAP, which enables products to be accepted in most African countries due to the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
He encouraged stakeholders to support SON’s efforts in promoting exports and ensuring that products meet international standards.
The SON DG also highlighted the need for international cooperation to ensure that imported products meet Nigeria’s standards. He called for support in accrediting organisations globally to test and certify products.
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