The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has called for deeper collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s trade competitiveness and drive sustainable development through the adoption of global standards.
Speaking at the 2025 World Standards Day celebration held in Lagos, SON’s Director General, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, said the organisation remains committed to using standards as tools for progress and international cooperation.
This year’s celebration, themed “Shared Vision for a Better World: Spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goal 17,” underscored the critical role of partnerships in achieving economic and social advancement.
“Collaboration, cooperation and partnership are the true drivers of progress,” Okeke said. “Standards are the common language that make such partnerships possible.”
He explained that the theme resonates deeply with Nigeria’s development agenda—touching on food security, industrialisation, energy transition and trade expansion—all of which require strong partnerships between government, private sector players, academia and civil society.
“Sustainable development cannot be achieved by any single institution,” he added. “By focusing on Goal 17, we affirm that partnerships are not just supportive, but are the backbone for achieving all other Sustainable Development Goals.”
Okeke described Nigeria’s national quality infrastructure as a cornerstone for growth, stressing that it determines how well the country can ensure that products—whether imported or exported—meet required national and international standards.
According to him, SON’s work in conformity assessment, testing and certification depends on the support of accredited partners across the world.
“We cannot do conformity assessments alone. SON cannot be everywhere in the world,” he said. “That’s why we need internationally recognised organisations to help us test and certify products, ensuring they meet global requirements.”
The SON chief also highlighted the organisation’s growing role in promoting Nigerian exports through the SON Export Certification Programme (SONEXCAP).
“Nigeria cannot continue to dwell on imports. What sustains any nation is the ability to export,” he said. “With SONEXCAP, locally made products certified by SON can be accepted in most African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.”
He explained that the certification programme provides mutual recognition of standards, enabling Nigerian goods to access regional markets with fewer barriers.
“With our SONEXCAP certification, we now have mutual recognition agreements with other African countries,” he noted. “That means products that leave Nigeria will be wholeheartedly accepted across Africa.”
Okeke emphasised that partnerships—local and international—remain key to SON’s mission of ensuring that quality drives competitiveness in every sector of the economy.
“Our goal is simple,” he said. “To make Nigeria a country where quality is not an afterthought, but a culture that powers sustainable development and global trust.”
The event drew participants from industry, academia, regulatory agencies and international organisations, all reaffirming their shared vision of building a better world through standards and collaboration.
