The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Rivers/Bayelsa State Office, Port Harcourt, has awarded 12 companies Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) Certification (10 in Rivers and 2 in Bayelsa) for compliance.
The Director General of SON, Osita Aboloma, commended the companies for their quality consciousness and efforts in complying to the requirements of relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards.
Aboloma, who stated this at the MANCAP Certification Award Ceremony, held in Port Harcourt by SON recently, encouraged manufacturers to embrace the product certification schemes SON offers as this will strategically position Nigerian products for export and the AfCTA.
He said the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) is a compulsory product certification scheme put in place to ensure all locally manufactured products conform to the requirements of the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS) before such products are presented for sale in the market or exported.
The DG, who was represented by Ololade Ayoola, the State Coordinator, Rivers/Bayelsa, stated that the programme started in 2006 and aims at ensuring compliance of made-in Nigeria products to minimum requirements of Nigerian Industrial Standards, thereby promoting fair competition at both domestic and international markets as well as safeguarding the lives of consumers.
He stated that by stimulating productivity and innovation, standards becomes an essential driver for economic growth.
He noted that a number of studies carried out in developed countries such as Denmark, Germany, UK, France and Canada have investigated the connection between standards and economic growth and they show that standards account for one to four percent of the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
