Economic Growth: SON Unveils Standardisation Strategy

Bennett Oghifo

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has unveiled what is tagged the Nigeria National Standardisation Strategy (NNSS) to unlock a total of 658 standardisation projects in key priority areas classified by economic sectors as highlighted in the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

The Director, Standards Development, SON, Chinyere Egwuonwu, made this known at a capacity building workshop for Media Practitioners in Lagos recently. The NNSS has a three-year implementation plan with assigned resources.

Egwuonwu noted that the aim of the strategy is to support Nigeria’s industrialisation strategies and unleash prospects for improved socio economic development, maintaining that NNSS was officially approved by the Standards Council of Nigeria.

She said standards development is demand/stakeholder driven, which means the standards must be developed carefully, continue to meet stakeholders’ demands and expectations, noting that with the constant improvements in science, technology and innovation, demands for standards continuously increase.

She however stated that there is always the constraint of inadequate resources both human and financial for carrying out standards development work, resulting in the need to focus on national priority areas in order to use the available resources to develop standards on most important areas.

Explaining the NNSS, she said it is a document that identifies priorities for standardization in a country based on an assessment of national needs, stressing that it is usually accompanied by a national implementation plan and gives orientation for national standardisation work within three years.

“It helps to develop standards in a most effective way, using the available resources in the most efficient manner, driven mainly by the SON with strong stakeholders’ engagement and assessment of national standardisation priorities,” she said.

Egwuonwu said the NNSS is the first ever Nigerian standardisation strategy listing priority standards to be developed, adding that it is currently being driven by the SON with support from all the key stakeholders.

She added: “The implementation is healthy and is also aligned with relevant regional, continental and international standards development organisations to make it relevant as an enabler for Nigeria to enter the global market. It is strictly being implemented and we are working hard to ensure that we achieve the scheduled standards so that the needed standards are available for our stakeholders to participate in the ongoing African Continental free trade Area (AfCFTA).”

She noted that a total of 274 standards were planned to be developed in the first year (2020) of the NNSS implementation plan and a total of 264 was achieved making it 96 per cent achievement despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She pointed out that the success of NNSS depends on active participation of the key stakeholders in public and private sectors, adequate funding for the national standardisation programme, uptake of the resultant standards by the business community and policy makers.

Recommending the need to upgrade strategy document, she said the NNSS and the associated work programme are living documents that is constantly updated and improved to ensure they remain in line with current conditions and continue to meet stakeholders’ demands and expectations.

She added that they remain flexible and be open to respond to new demands for standards which may not have been anticipated and are therefore not part of the plan as it aims to support the implementation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Economic Recovery & Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017- 2020, Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). “It has identified priorities for standardisation based on the strategic directions given by these national strategic priorities/plans, delivered a core set of standards that will be important enabler for government’s actions, economic activities and social measures required for Nigeria’s development,” she said.

“The NNSS supports sector-specific initiatives defined in ERGP and related national strategic priorities/plans aiming to restore Nigeria’s economic growth, supports MSMEs development, to assist the most vulnerable members of society, open opportunities for Job creation, youth empowerment and improving human capital,” she added.

She stated that NNSS aims to support the strong and active participation of the private sector in the national, international and continental trade, particularly with the implementation of the AfCFTA, while also identifying priorities for standardisation based on the sector-specific needs of the private sector and national strategic directions, priorities and plans of Federal Government aiming to restore Nigeria’s economic growth

“It will deliver a core set of standards that will be important enabler for the private sector aligning and achieving these government policies, to manufacture /provide quality products and services as well as their active and beneficial participation in international trade, particularly in the African Common market through the AfCFTA,” she averred.

Highlighting the economic benefits of the NNSS, she said it ensures that the development of new national standards is based on a clear understanding of our national priorities in the fields of the economy, trade, the society, health, environment or other areas and also takes into account emerging sectors that are expected to gain importance in the future.

She further stated that NNSS would develop standards in line with national needs (stakeholders needs and the present Government policies), provide continuous availability of required standards, supports industrialization of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) and give basic support for industrialization, trade, economic growth and market development; She added: “It will lead to increased use of standards by both public and private sectors as basis for regulation and as reference for legal agreements and as a country, increase market access, innovation, and sustainable economic transformation, achieve Nigeria’s economic empowerment and growth and improve the quality of lives of all Nigerians.