How Nigerian manufacturers can enjoy AfCFTA-SON DG

By allcitynews.ng

Apparently concerned on how to exploit and enjoy opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has charged Nigerian manufacturers to improve on the packages of their products.

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director General, Mallam Farouk Salim who made this known while addressing journalists at the just concluded capacity building pointed out that the call became imperative because irrespective how nice products could be, but poor packages have ways of discouraging customers from patronage.

To him, though it would be wrong to judge a monkey for its inability to swim in river, and also be erroneous to judge a book by its cover, but in trading, especially trading among other countries, packages of products could play crucial roles. He noted that poor packages could be used as yardsticks by consumers to asses such products.

Addressing the gathering at the capacity building organized by SON in Lagos, the SON helmsman reiterated that Nigerian manufacturers need to produce products that should meet international standards to enable them compete favourably with manufacturers from other countries.

According to him, “efforts are being made to improve standard of products and eliminate substandard goods in the country. “We’ve done enough enforcement, discussed about how to stop all these things that are entering our country. We are working tirelessly both within, outside and underground, to improve activities of the organisation so that it can serve the country better.”

Similarly, Salim stressed that “This is very important, because we have the new African free trade, where goods will be crossing borders without too much hindrances.

“So what that means for our country is, if our manufacturers are not producing standard goods, they will not cross over to the other countries, because other countries will set standards too and they will expect goods coming to their countries to be up to standard.

“So it is our responsibility as the SON to make sure our goods in this country are up to standard. We must make sure that substandard goods in the markets decrease. Governments should make sure that there are consequences and sanctions against any products or persons producing substandard products.”

None industry watchers could be wondering what African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) stands for. AfCFTA is a trade agreement between African Union (AU) member states with the goal of creating a single market followed by free movement and a single-currency union.
When in operation, the free-trade zone could be the largest in the world since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1995.