SON DG promises to use standards to boost SMEs

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Bar Anthony Osita Abaloma has restated the resolve of his agency to support small and medium enterprises with the required standards needed to boost their businesses.

Abaloma told stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday importance given standards are important in the meeting consumers’ expectations, safeguarding lives as well as in boosting the economy of any nation.

Speaking against the background of this year’s World’s Standards Day with the theme “Standards Build Trust”, Abaloma reassured stakeholders that the SON would lay emphasis on standards that have the capacity to strengthen their products, make it more competitive, and spur Nigeria’s economic development. He therefore urged all stakeholders to support the drive of the agency

Speaking earlier, the organisation’s Director of Standards, Mr Abiola Komolafe described the day as special in that it was devoted to standards, saying standards make everyday life easy and safe.

According to him, it is also a tool of development, and that the SON had developed thousands standards applicable to different sectors of the economy, adding that the agency had also organised series of seminars and workshops tailed to sensitising and educating Nigerians on the imperative and importance of standards.

According to him, standards not only lead to productivity but also to the quality of life and thereby called on all Nigerians to join hands with the SON to optimise the benefits of standards, saying it is one way of encouraging the nation’s developmental expertise.

Julie Momah, the Centre manger of Technology Incubation Centre who appreciated the Standards Organisation of Nigeria for electing to collaborate with the centre in the marketing of this year’s World Standard Day, said standards form the fundamental building blocks for products development by establishing consistent protocols that cn be universally understood and adopted .

This, she said, helps fuel compatibility and interoperability and simplifies products development, and speeds time-to-market. “Standards also make it easier to understand and compare competing products. As standards are globally adopted and applied in many markets, they also fuel international trade”.

She said it is only through the use of standards that the requirements of interconnectivity and interoperability can be assured. It is only through the application of standards that the credibility of new products and new markets can be verified”, she said.

A highlight of the celebration was solidarity messages from other institutions and organisations and inspection of products stands put up by the entrepreneurs on incubation, with the DG of SON taking his time to visit all the sections within the incubation centre.

At each stand, he took time to interact with the exhibitors, asking questions and proffering observations.

He later told the audience that the SON would indeed do what is necessary in the area of standardising some of the exhibits in a bid to spur more indigenous development of micro, small and medium enterprise.

At previous outings, Abaloma had underscored the readiness of his organisation to back the agriculture and small business sectors in their bids to produce quality-compliant products.