In furtherance of the war against fake and substandard goods, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in collaboration with one of the International Accredited Firms undertaking its offshore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP), COTECNA recently held a one-day sensitisation programme on seamless importation and clearance of cargo for importers, manufacturers and dealers in Aba.
In his welcome remarks, SON Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim outlined the objective as including providing adequate information and guidance to Importers, Manufacturers, Distributors and Suppliers involved in importation of finished goods, raw materials and machinery in Abia State and environ.
Reiterating SON commitment, Salim noted it will continue assisting Nigerian businesses undertake seamless importation of top quality finished goods, raw materials and machinery.
Represented by the Director, South East Operations, Engr. Fred Akingbesote, the SON Chief Executive admonished the Stakeholders to adhere strictly to his organisation’s offshore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) procedures for all its regulated products in order to guarantee the quality from the countries of origin before making financial commitments.
According to him, adherence to the SONCAP procedure would in addition protect the importers from substandard imports, fast-track the cargo clearance process on arrival and promote repeated patronage of such products by Consumers.
The SON Chief Executive assured Nigerian Consumers of adequate protection from the menace of imported substandard products, pointing at his organisation’s recent collaboration with Sister agencies like the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority among others to effectively regulate imported products from all points of entry.
Addresing the gathering, COTECNA Country Manager, Mr. Ade Adediran pledged his organisation’s technical support and guidance to all intending importers of SON regulated products into Nigeria from any part of the world through its wide global network of internationally accredited laboratories and certified Inspectors.
The COTECNA Country Manager highlighted his organisation’s role as a third party verification agent for all SON regulated finished products, raw materials and machinery being imported into Nigeria from any part of the world with decades of experience in similar activities for many countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Americas.
Mr. Adediran stated that COTECNA would leverage on its almost ten years’ collaboration with SON on the offshore Conformity Assessment Programme Programme to assist Nigerian Importers meet all laid down requirements for seamless importation.
He also assured the participants of COTECNA’s accessibility across Nigeria to promptly address the concerns and observations from all its present and prospective Customers in the Country.
Also speaking at the occasion, Abia State Commissioner for Industry, Mrs Uwaoma Olewengwa commended SON and COTECNA for the initiative and called for more of such sensitisation programmes across the State.
She urged the participants to take maximum advantage of the opportunity to clear their doubts and get clarifications on grey areas to enhance their business prospects.
Papers were presented on SON services including, the SONCAP, Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme for certification of locally manufactured products, electronic products registration, Ports and Borders Clearance procedures as well as Standards enforcement, seizures and prosecution of infractions.
The occasion was graced by several regulatory authorities including NAFDAC, NESREA, NSCDC, National Board for Technology Incubation amongst others.
