Harmonised African Standards: Pillar For Trade, Quality Assurance – SON

The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has underscored the pivotal role of endorsing harmonised African standards by the ARSO Council as a decisive leap towards constructing an impregnable framework for trade and ensuring unwavering quality assurance in Africa.

Director-general of SON,  Dr. Osita Okeke, delivered this forceful message during the 69th African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) Council meeting, inaugurated by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Doris Anite, and hosted by the agency in Abuja.

Dr. Okeke emphasised the paramount significance of the approval process for harmonised standards, highlighting its non-negotiable role in deploying the zenith standards of quality, safety, and innovation. According to him, this streamlined approach not only facilitates trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) but also propels African nations into an indomitable position on the global stage.

Asserting that this initiative will stand as a powerful testament to Africa’s unwavering commitment to international trade practices, Dr. Okeke stated that it will galvanise African countries to assertively navigate global trade, surpassing even the most stringent quality requirements.

Underscoring the imperative of unwavering cooperation among member states, Dr. Okeke declared that the Council meeting should serve as an unyielding platform to forge unbreakable relationships., adding that the singular aim is to elevate the potency of harmonising standards and catapult the quality of African products into an unassailable position on the global stage.

“The unassailable priority of the meeting is to indomitably promote the adoption of standards across every trade sector on the African continent and construct an environment that unapologetically propels the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) to unprecedented heights,” declared Dr. Okeke.