The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is committed to the protection of local manufacturing companies to enhance their growth.
Director General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, stated this on Thursday while declaring open a one-day stakeholders’ forum for manufacturers, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), importers and exporters in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Represented by the Director, Corporate Affairs of SON, Mrs. Talatu Ethan, Okeke said the protection of local manufacturing companies remains a top agenda of the present administration in its bid to discourage importation of goods and services.
Okeke, speaking on the theme of the workshop: “Standard – The Pillar for Innovation, Safety and Sustainable Development,” said such protection will also reduce the production of sub-standard products, thereby accelerating the economic growth of the country.
“One of the cornerstones of this administration’s industrial policy is the “Nigeria First Policy. This is not just a directive from above, it is a challenge to every Nigerian to look inward, support homegrown solutions, and raise the quality of local production. For this vision to be meaningful, we must anchor it on credible quality infrastructure.
“At SON, we are responding by scaling up our certification, training, and monitoring systems to give Nigerian-made products the credibility they deserve. Let me make this clear, promoting the “Nigeria First Policy is not about excluding others, it is about preparing ourselves.
“It is about positioning Nigerian entrepreneurs, artisans, and manufacturers to compete favourably, not just within our borders, but across West Attica and beyond. Standards are how we translate patriotic intention into economic success,” she said.
Okeke charged stakeholders to move from seeing standards as regulatory burdens to understanding them as business enablers.
“Compliance with standards is not a favour to SON, it is an investment in your own credibility, competitiveness, and long-term relevance”, he said.
The DG therefore challenged them to reflect on how innovation can thrive in an environment of order and predictability.
He added, “When properly applied, standards ensure that innovation does not become guesswork, and that development does not come at the cost of safety or environmental degradation.”
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