Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim, has called on manufacturers to up their games in product quality by ensuring that products meet the requirements and satisfy customers’ needs simultaneously.

The DG emphasized the need to develop a high-level product vision that will translate into creating products whose characteristics satisfy a set of numerically defined specifications. He also advised manufacturers to standardise their products and carry out necessary quality assurance procedures for the best quality to promote economic growth.

The product standardization umpire made this statement at a one-day general sensitisation workshop organised by SON with the theme: “Promoting Exports and Economic Growth via Standardisation and Quality Assurance,” in Akwa Ibom state.

Speaking on behalf of the DG, Usman Mohammed, the South-South Regional Director, said the major problem with the rejection of Nigeria’s exports is due to a lack of standards, noting that achieving success in this area continues to be a challenge for many in the industry. He maintained that the days of “shooting from the hip” in quality are gone.  The quality product expert encouraged them to develop quality product culture to build trust with consumers.

He stressed that for products from manufacturers in the country to be accepted in international markets, they must ensure the quality and standard of the products meet global standards.

Also, Akwa Ibom State Coordinator of SON, Lawal Ismaila, decried that lack of quality has remained a bane that has barred the country’s from making its name on the global map, adding that, until stakeholders embrace international best practices as done in other parts of the world, Nigeria will continue to be left behind in development.

Lawal explained that SON developed the standards to remove technical barriers to trade at national and international levels. He said to enable businesses to become international champions, there was a need to create jobs for youths, promote  economic growth and prevent Nigeria from becoming a dumping ground as well as grow businesses from small to medium, large and international.