Industrialising Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) is the surest way to deliberately tap the potential of both regional and global markets to boost income streams, restore factory closure, provide corporate lending opportunities to propel business growth. This also act as financing options for businesses with advisory roles to position the Indigenous SMEs for global market opportunities.
Stakeholders believe SMEs needs to build a resilient economy through export driven economy, noting that, such move would integrate and factor SMEs into commercial exports business that would generate foreign exchange earnings and facilitate sustainable export driven economy.
Speaking recently at a Webinar session with the theme: ‘Creating a Sustainable Non-Export Driven Economy,’ founder of Dasun Integrated Farms Ltd DIFL Nigeria, Bosun Solarin, noted that, Nigeria cannot continue to do things the same way and expect different results, adding that, as a nation, we must act with sustainable strategies to realise a better Nigeria we hope for, one that is driven and flourishing based on non-oil export.
Solarin, who has been actively exporting Nigeria products on international scale, decried the structural defect pulling back many Nigerians small businesses.
She also explained that businesses that do not have a proper accounting system and record-keeping systems will be unable to receive support or grants to grow their businesses from reputable donor agencies.
She recommended the creation of an export civil society sector group that will help fight policies that do not support exporters and resolve a situation where exporters are tossed to and fro.
“Until we put our differences behind us, mend, change our ways, allow integrity, trust, accountability, credibility and through a most determined effort, build a team that is formidable enough to withstand detractors, when our advocacy becomes stronger, then we will begin to move closer to our destination.
“Business membership organisations must play an advocacy role in capacity building, business growth, trade facilitation and funding opportunities for businesses insetting up with standards for successful trading,” she pointed out.
She said efficiencies will come from proactively transforming how business is done, saying, collaboration is the new competition.
Similarly, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has commended the Standards Organisation of Nigeria’s (SON’s) quest to promote made-in-Nigeria products in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) through calibration efforts to address market penetration and declining foreign exchange and closure of factories.
On his part, the director general, MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, speaking on the sidelines stated that market penetration is key, saying that without market penetration, Nigeria will only gaze at all the 1.4 billion people’s market in Africa.
In his words: “one thing all over the world that has been acknowledged is that what we cannot measure we cannot value. So for us, today marks a milestone in our quality infrastructure programme in Nigeria.
“SON is blazing the trail in ensuring that not only our big companies that are located in centers that we can access, but where vehicles can move to remote areas in Nigeria to deliver the measurement service.
“For us it is important because we are not only going to ensure the quality and the right quantum of our products, but four buyers to know what they are buying and for the sellers they know what they are selling. It is a win win situation for us and we have said it over again that it is our interest to give SON the right support needed.”
He, however, called on the federal government to support with the allocation of right level of funding while also tasking the private sector to support SON in order for Nigeria not to lose its competitiveness in the African market.
This is as the DG, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, said going forward, the agency would be engaging in public awareness to promote and protect safety, stressing that public awareness will also highlight the importance of calibration to improving the quality of lives in general.
“As we are all aware, the plague caused by substandard products to our nation cannot be overemphasised as seen in declining foreign exchange, surging unemployment and insecurity. In addition, of course, the closure of factories,” he said.
To address this challenge, the SON boss said, his administration has set out to strengthen available measures to fight substandard products across the country.
He also announced plans that the standards body would be unleashing a massive calibration service campaign across the country in its bid to drive industrialisation as well Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development in Nigeria.
The director general, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, at the inauguration of mobile calibrate vehicles and measurement equipment in Lagos, said, under his leadership to achieve its calibration exercise, the standards body would be expanding its services through mobile laboratory facilities, explaining that, imbibing the culture of regular calibration of equipment, operators in the industry would get it right, lives would be saved while economic development is assured.
According to him, with SON’s state of the art mobile collaboration services remote areas will be served, thereby enhancing the nation’s economic growth and the benefits of calibrations.
To him, “the benefits of calibration would help to ensure compliance, monitoring the control of substandard products across the country, promoting mass production for industries and businesses, facilitate transactions in business, trade and commerce and fast track overall industrial growth, especially development of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.”
He also stated that calibration would provide access to new markets, prevent trade barriers, open up global market, increased market share, increase productivity, reduce costs, minimise errors and guarantee consistency and uniformity of product.
“Some of the measures include establishing six new offices in more locations for better coverage, provision of testing facilities across the various regions and the establishment of SON special task force to serve as a third eye.Though there have been so many challenges, but we remain undeterred. It is a worthy cause and together we shall win this war. I therefore invite you to join hands with us to fight the influx of substandard goods and create a healthy nation by patronising our calibration services,” he urged.
On his part, the director, Nigeria Metrology Institute (NMI), Engr. Bede Obayi, said, the journey to take calibration services to MSMEs and other valuable stakeholders in their locations, has been a long but continual one starting from 2008 to date in SON’s quest to enhance the metrology value chain in Nigeria.
He said the NMI has been established for the dissemination of measurement standards and providing traceability and accuracy of measurements to the industries, laboratories, trade and commerce, aviation, oil and gas, agriculture, health, education, automotive, mining, power and others.
“This means that metrology is life and life begets all developments and advancements in technology towards better living. The scope of NMI of SON is varied and significant as the sole representative of Nigeria at the International Bureau for Weights and Measures (BIPM) situated in France, for all world metrology matters (scientific and industrial),” he said.
