Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) was established by enabling Act No. 56 of 1971

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1 COUNTRY PAPER FROM STANDARDS ORGANISATION OF NIGERIA WORKSHOP ON LINKING TRADE PROMOTION ORGANISATION AND NATIONAL STANDARDS BODIES FOR EXPORT SUCCESS 21 TO 23 JUNE 2011 THE ROLE STRUCTURE AND SCOPE OF SON INTRODUCTION OF SON Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) was established by enabling Act No. 56 of 1971 Let me quickly brief you on the responsibility of SON s - To advise the Federal Government generally on the National Policy on Standards, Standards, specification quality control and metrology - To designate, establish and approve standards on respect of metrology, materials, commodities, structures and processes for the certification of products in commerce and industry throughout Nigerian - To provide the necessary measures for quality control of new materials and products in conformity with the standard specification SON also carries out the following functions among others:- (a) Organise tests and do everything necessary to ensure compliance with standards designated and approved by the council. 1

2 (b) Undertake investigation as necessary into the quality of facilities, materials and products in Nigerian, and establish a quality assurance system including certification of factories, products and Laboratories. (c) Ensure reference standards for calibration and verification of measures and measuring instruments. In short, the bulk of SON job borders on the following quality infrastructure:- Standardisation Development and publication of a document approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products and their related processes or production methods with which compliance is not mandatory standards can be the basis of technical regulation, contractual obligation or market expectation standards are developed on a of levels on SON (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) International Standards Regional Standards ECOWAS National Standards Company Standards Metrology Conformity Assessment Metrology is the technology or sconce of measurement and the service is required to ensure internationally recognized traceability of measurements and calibration of measuring instruments, metrology in SON cense divided into:- - Scientific metrology - Legal metrology - Industrial metrology - Conformity assessment is the collective term for services 2

3 necessary to provide evidence that a supplier, product or service meet requirements such as provided for in a standard or technical regulation. The following are generally pretisal and considered to be conformity assessment services. - Inspection - Routine factory inspection surveillance factory inspect Surveillance inspection of products - Testing - Food chemistry laboratory - Mechanical laboratory - Textile/Leather Laboratory - Microbiology Lab - Electrical/Electronic Laboratory - Civil Engineering Laboratory System Certification = ISO 901 & ISO 14 ISO17025, HACCP Product Certification - Certification factory inspection Revalidation factory inspection MANCAP factory inspection Training Training services in Standardisation, testing and certification and most include the implementation of Hazard Analysis and critical control point (HACCP) management system conforming to ISO 9001, ISO14001, ISO22000 and training in lead auditor Auditor course Laboratory Accreditation Accreditation including the activity providing independent as to the of individual or organizations providing conformity assessment services thereby facilitating international recogniation of claims of conformity 3

4 WTO/TBT AND SPS ENQUIRY POINTS SON IS THE WTO/TBT National Enquiry Point for Nigeria while sps is the National Enquiry Point for Food standards - SON WTO/TBT Enquiry Point provider the following information:- - Current national standards - Proposed new technical regulation - Proposed charges to technical/regulations - Any requirements on assessing conformity with Technical regulation or standards Any bilateral or multilateral recognition agreements regarding all of the above. SPS Enquiry Point - SON Sps Enquiry Point providers the following information in food standards - Information on any adopted or proposed sanitary or phytosanity regulations - Any control or inspection procedure, requirement for production, procession food standards - SON is the contact point for Consultancy Services SON provide consultative service regarding compliance with standards and technical/regulations in target markets - Registration of NIS ISO auditors and lead Auditors. 4

5 SERVICE IN HIGHEST DEMAND FOR EXPORTERS Service in highest demand for exports services offered by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to Industries, services Organisation suppliers, Government and Public Enterprises includes:- (1) Sales of National and Foreign Standards, NIS Directors, technical journals and SON publications (2) Database of store cards for information (3) Quality system and Environmental systems certification (4) Product certificate (5) Qualification training in NIS ISO 9000, NIS , ISO & HACCP standards (6) Laboratory Services relating to product testing/analysis (7) Instrument calibration (8) Laboratory accreditation (9) NIS Award for certified products (10) Human Resources Development and Training (11) Factory Inspection for product Quality Assurance (12) Environmental Quality Management system certification (13) Import Inspection of products (14) Pre-shipment Inspection of Export (15) Consultancy services in standardization quality assurance, testing, import and exports trade support. (16) Consumer complaint & collaboration Strategic vision of SON over the next three years is to be a competent dynamic Organisation capable of responding rapidly to the challenges of innovations and taking Nigeria to higher quality standards, while the strategic mission is to take Nigeria to higher standards of quality through standards formulation elaboration, specification and quality assurance systems for goods and services in Nigeria. The strategic vision of SON aligned to the national development promotions in the rising need for imports and exports/others businessmen and women to be guided by SON in order to import policy of nurturing a market driven economy that revolves around quality. 5

6 THE EXISITING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STANDARDS ORGANISATION OF NIGERIA AND NIGERIAN EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL Standards Organisation of Nigeria is the apex Federal Government agency in Nigeria under the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry while Nigerian Export Promotion Council is a Department under the same Ministry. The role of SON is well understood by NEPC to the following extent:- SON information on standardization work programme. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Development of New product standards Technical committee to be established Circulatory draft standards for public comment Member of Nigerian committee on Trade procedures SON is the WTO/TBT&SPS enquiry points for Nigeria All these roles and relationship are well understood by the exports The relationship between SON & NEPC was established 1983, with respect to export drive SON in collaboration with the Export Promotion Council organized a national workshop for small scale industrialists, the theme of which was Economic and Social benefit of Quality control. No constraints that SON faces in terms of linking up with NEPC. SON collaboration with the following NACCIMA, MAN, ECOWAS (III) THE POTENTIAL FUTURE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SON AND NEPC SON collaborates with NEPC in almost all the sectors, non-oil export, services. The following areas of collaboration between SON & NEPC (I) PREPARATION AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION SHARING OF INFORMATION REGARDING - Markets of interest to exports - Products and Services which exports wish to sell 6

7 - Standards, technical regulations, SPS measures, conformity Assessment (SONCAP) MANCAP. (II) CAPACITY BUILDING AND ADVISORY SERVICES - Redesign of products service or packaging - Implementation of management systems (i.. quality, food safety environment) - Facilitating consultancy services - Capacity building services at national level - Enhancing the National Quality infrastructure - Counterpart for donor projects OBTAINING AND DEMONSTRATING COMPLIANCE - NEPC to act as facilitator between exporter and service providers such as Standards Organisation of Nigeria and others - SON providers calibration and conformity assessment services - Inspection - Testing - Certification (product and systems) No challenges so far since SON and NEPC are hosted by the same Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The collaboration between the two are not difficult at all. VALUE ADDED THAT SON OFFERS TO NEPC Value chin are utilized to address two keys issues in business development and trade promotion:- How to mobilize and work with the NACCIMA and MAN to promote development, reduce poverty and shiff from supply side to demand side interventions. How to support the productive activity of SMEDAN small producers and marginalized populations in the contact of globalization. In Nigeria, three generic valve chains agriculture, garment, manufacturing leather and footwear manufacturing and tourism. SON is mandated to ensure compliance of imported or locally products fertilizer and closely involved at the cotton ginning stage. SON to coordinate with information regarding the required market standards. 7

8 SON offers training in ISO 9001 and iso based quality and environmental management systems and in market requirements such as traceability eco-labeling, social accountability is require throughout the value chain. Garment and Leather/footwear are potentially important area for SON and NEPC involvement and collaboration. Tourism is a multi-dimensional service industry, SON has a role to play in providing the supply side of the tourism industry with standards information testing and certification. MECHANISM EMPLOYED TO ESTABLISHED AN EFFECTIVE COOPERATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH SON NEPC The key strategy employed to establish an effective cooperation and working relationship between SON and NEPC are as follows:- (I) FORMALIZE THE COOPERATION - Sign an initial MOU between the Chief Executive Officers of the SON and NEPC committing to the pursuit of meaningful cooperation. - Consider representation on each other boards or council, in full - Consider full representation and active involvement in each others advisory forums. - Establish and joint national working forum. (ii) CULTIVATE PERSONAL CONTACTS - Visit each organization to review its activities - Send staff representative to the other Headquarter to short periods to familiarize with issues and constraints and foster cooperation among staff at lower levels (iii) TECHNICAL REGULATION AND MARKET FAILURES - Develop closer cooperation between the SON and NEPC where the SON as custodian of the National WTO enquiry Points can use the NEPC extensive contact and address lists to raise industry awareness of technical regulations in target markets or with main leading partners (iv) TRAINGS WORKSHOP AND SEMINARS - Organise workshop and /or seminar to sensitize manufacturers and supplier to quality and technical regulations in target markets on sectoral basis - Provide awareness and, where relevant training in HACCP, ISO/EC 17025, ISO 9001, ISO and ISO to manufacturers, suppliers, Laboratories. 8

9 BENEFITS OF SON RELATIONSHIP WITH NEPC, EXPORTERS AMD POTENTIAL BUYER/INVESTORS (1) Through the collaboration with NEPC, Exporters have their goods certified by SON. (2) SON helps to eliminate some of the barriers associated with Exportation of goods. This also services to boost the confidence imports have in Nigerian good. This also services to boost the confidence imports have in Nigerian goods by believing that a competent National body is in charge of certification of goods before they are exported. Goods made in Nigeria can now have proudly Nigerian printed on it. (3) SON has also put a national programme in place that ensures that all locally made goods conform to the applicable national/international standard. (4) It is everyone s responsibility to work to achieve a better environment to enhance the contribution of the non-oil exp[ort sub-sector to the national economy. CONCLUSION Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is in the best position to provide the much needed information and support services to the Industries. It is basically due to the fact that standards and certification are the central issues for the elimination of technical barriers to trade. Generally, SON has the resources, networks and facilities to gain access to the most up to date information on standards, certification and others. SON also have the ready linkages with local industries and exporters, who are the eventual endusers of this information. In addition, SON is the National Enquiry Point for trade related technical barriers regulations under the arrangement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Such arrangement further enhance the role of SON in providing the necessary advisory services to exporters. Consonant with the above, SON is likely to play the key role of facilitate the exchange of information between member countries in WTO. This would contribute towards the enhancement of international trade in line with the development of the free trade processing zones by NEPZA. However, for the continued growth and development of Nigerian Industries, particularly in the context of export trade, we have little choice but to quickly put in place a comprehensive information strategy with the objective of providing the core of information which Nigerian industries would require to make important business decisions as well as to facilitate international trade. 9

10 I conclude by reiterating appreciation to all of you who gave helped in the arrangements for this national Workshop. Thank you. - 10