SON to launch new media campaign to boost certification awareness
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is set to launch new media and stakeholders’ engagement campaign in order to sensitise and enlighten the public on the revised Standards and Certification Initiative which was launched last year.
The Assistant Director Product Certification Directorate, SON, Engr. Fred Akingbesote told MARKETING EDGE recently in Lagos that the campaigns will soon be rolled out on various media platforms. And that regulatory agency will at the same time intensify direct engagement with stakeholders to educate them on the benefit of the new standardisation process which was launched last year.
According to a statement by SON, standards are technical documents that state the minimum or maximum product or services requirement for adjusting quality and ensuring the protection of human, animal and plant lives. They are necessary instruments for facilitating fair trade across borders thereby enhancing competitiveness for sustainable economic development.
The newly introduced Standards and Certification initiative stipulate a level of certification for all goods manufactured or imported into the Nigerian market. One of the certification documents is called Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme or MANCAP. This is a mandatory approval for all good imported into Nigeria.
Another type of certification if SONCAP or Standard Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme. This is the minimum level of certification required for all goods manufactured in Nigeria. And it is compulsory.
The other level of certification which is the highest mark of quality as far as Nigeria is concerned is NIS. The NIS logo on any product is an indication that the product has successfully passed through the most stringent test for quality in Nigeria.
More so, the NIS certification has four classifications, they are bronze, silver, gold and platinum. According to Akingbesote, “MANCAP is mandatory for all goods manufactured in Nigeria, while NIS is voluntary. Some of the requirements to qualify for the NIS logo are availability functional labouratory, qualified labouratory staff, consumers’ satisfaction and strong feedback mechanism.”
A number of brands in Nigeria have acquired the NIS certification and one of them is Amstel Malta, which last year adjusted it package to reflect to improved certification.
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