The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)

  • EU intensifies push for Nigeria to endorse EPA deal

    EU intensifies push for Nigeria to endorse EPA deal

    The European Union (EU) has continued its push to get Nigeria endorse the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), insisting that with globalization, Nigeria cannot live in isolation as it will hurt her economy.

    The propriety or otherwise of Nigeria signing into the EPA has since pitched manufacturers and other members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) against the EU, with most of them insisting that signing the agreement as it  is presently will hurt the manufacturing sector and the economy generally.

    But the EU appears unimpressed by such argument and has, therefore, continued its push to get Nigeria ratify the EPA deal. At a dialogue session on Nigeria International Trade Relations organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), last week, Head of Trade & Economics of the EU in Nigeria and West Africa, Fillippo Amato, said Nigeria has nothing to fear as far as EPA is concerned.

    He said the EU has shown goodwill with the release of 12 million euro to support the enhancement of the National Quality Infrastructure, to improve quality, safety, integrity and marketability of Nigerian goods and services.

    He wondered how smaller African countries such as Ghana, Rwanda, Gambia, Cameroun, Mauritania and the Southern African countries have signed on as a result of improved quality of production as against Nigeria with her large population.

    On how Nigeria can tap into the European market, Amato said it is only through the improvement of her production processes.

    Nigeria is already loosing so much by the rejection of beans and other export products to the EU because of the presence of a pesticide known as dichlorvos, which is harmful to health. Amato regretted that more than 70 percent of beans exported to the EU from Nigeria contained pesticide.

    The EU boss, however, stated that that EU is working with the relevant government agencies to address the problem.

    Some of the agencies include the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) among others.

    While noting that there is no short cut to standardization, he said Nigeria must do all within her means to improve on her products both for export and internal consumption. He said the EU has 100 per cent immediate market opening for products from West Africa and 75 per cent gradual market opening over a 20 year period for products from the EU.

    LCCI President Mrs. Nike Akande while denouncing multiple charges on manufacturers by the regulatory agencies urged government on the need for diversification. She stated that no country is fully self-sufficient, urging the government to come out with consistent and sustainable policies on trade relations.

    “Our huge population is a plus for investors. Return on Investment (RoI) is one of the highest globally, but as a country we need to strengthen our competitiveness by creating an enabling environment on the supply side,” Akande said.

     

  • Security firm to combat counterfeiting in Nigeria

    Security firm to combat counterfeiting in Nigeria

    Rootsearch Securities, an intelligence based security firm with specialty in counter-intelligence, surveillance, and background checks has partnered one of Nigeria’s leading commercial law firms in a bid to combat counterfeiting.
    The partnership is in a bid to curb the rising menace of counterfeited products in the country.

    In a statement issued on Friday, the security firm noted that it will carry out its activities around 2 geo-political zones in the country with particular focus on the south-east, where suspected counterfeiting cases have been recorded.

    According to Rootsearch Managing Director, Mr Michael Temilade, “the partnership will help assist clients of the law firm ascertain the level of product counterfeiting, discover the ring of counterfeiters and ultimately shutdown their operations while working with Government security agencies.

    “The clients in question are in the food and beverage sector, makers of cleaning agents, alcoholic beverages among others.”

    The partnership comes at a time when businesses are losing billions of naira in revenue to parallel imported goods and counterfeited products.

    In 2014, it will be recalled that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) raised an alarm over the growing rate of counterfeited products, stating that 40 per cent of goods in Nigeria are either substandard or counterfeit, causing more companies to get better involved in the fight against piracy.

  • SON to test imported electronic goods

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has gone tough on imported electronics into the country.

    Its Director-General, Mr Joseph Odumodu, said during a visit to Fouani Nigeria Limited in Lagos that his agency was ready to start the scientific validation and testing of imported electronic products.

    He expressed the displeasure of SON on the poor quality of some electronic products.

    He said the testing was to ensure that the products met minimum standards for safety and performance.

    Odumodu said there was the need to establish a stronger collabo-ration between SON and electronic manufacturers.

    “The ultimate goal is to ensure consumers’ safety and value for money.

    “Today, I have learnt that every LG television set and some of the refrigerators and air conditioners are assembled here in Apapa, Lagos.

    “This also helps us in achieving our objectives because we know the kind of questions and features to look out for in these products.

    “I have seen your assembly plants and I am also looking forward, in the next two years, to see Nigeria manufacturing compressors, condensers and others components because this is the real manufacturing that we need”, he said.

    Earlier, Managing Director of the company, Mr Mohammed Fouani, said the factory had equipped many Nigerians with technical skills.

    “Occasionally, engineers from China come and train our employees, who are mostly Nigerian. I think what is important here is how to make local components in Nigeria so that we can do everything from A to Z in this country. This is the only way the manufacturing sector can grow,” Fouani said.

    He advised the Federal Government to support the manufacturing sector, adding that the company would open a new factory, which would be the biggest in Africa in 2014.