SON Implores Firms To Sustain Global Competitiveness, Awards MANCAP Certificates

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has called on Nigerian manufacturers to maintain high standard quality of their products to boost consumers’ confidence and position themselves for global competitiveness.

The Director-General of SON, Mr Osita Aboloma,  made the call on Wednesday in Awka, Anambra State when he issued Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) certificates to 19 manufacturing companies in Anambra.

Aboloma, who was represented by Mr William Okpe, Regional Coordinator, Enugu Zonal Operations of SON, said the MANCAP certificates were an attestation that their products successfully underwent evaluation.

He said that if the recipients adhered to the regulatory standards that earned them the certificates, they would enjoy the benefits, which included safe, increased efficiency, cost reduction and enhanced market access for their products.

The Director General congratulated the awardees but warned that the certificates were on loan to them and could be withdrawn whenever they fell short of the recommended industrial standard.

“The certificates are to attest to the conformity of these certified products to standard after undergoing intensive conformity assessment processes.

“The MANCAP certificates thus serve the purpose of promoting consumers’ confidence in the products and also guarantee that the certified products can be sold all over Nigeria and across the borders,” he said.

Aboloma commended Anambra industrialists for subjecting themselves to assessment and urged them to join forces with SON in its bid to ensure that only high quality locally produced products were in the Nigerian markets.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the awardees included Zobis Electrical Cables (manufacturers of wire and cable), Dilly Investment (producers of serviettes), Citizen Chemical Industries (makers plastics buckets) and Integrated Production Limited (manufacturers of PVC pipes).

Others were Deco Foams and Chemical Industries Limited, Donna Summer Nigeria Limited (makers of soaps), Nkiruka/Iruka Industries Limited (makers of Bread), De-Eze Packaging Industries Limited and Samana Foods Limited, among others.

Presenting the awardees earlier, the Coordinator of SON in Anambra, Mr Omoniyi Olalekan, said the agency would continue to offer surveillance and regulatory assistance to ensure that Anambra markets became the best destination for seekers of quality products.

Olalekan lauded the companies for going through the evaluation and coming out successful and urged them not to go to sleep with their certificates but work harder to maintain the standard.

The Chairman of Zobis Electrical Cables, Mr John Ezeobi, pledged that they would ensure that the certificates were defended at all times by keeping to the standards.

Ezeobi said the firms could now go into the market and face the competition in their various industries with the confidence that they had products that met customers’ satisfaction and value for their money.

-NAN