Job Provision: SON to partner MSMEs

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is to partner Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to create jobs.

Its Director-General, Mr. Osita Aboloma, said this at an interactive session with freight forwarders and clearing agents in Kano.

He hinged his support for MSMEs on their potential to create jobs, reduce crime rate and contribute to economic growth substantially.

He said SON was investing in building the capacity of MSMEs, improving their quality control mechanisms and raising the quality profile of their products for improved competitiveness locally, as well as for export.

Aboloma condemned any practice that promotes job creation for foreign manufacturers at the expense of local industries, stressing that preference for foreign goods meant boosting the economy of other countries at the detriment of local industries.

He said Nigeria’s immense potential in human and material resources could be optimised with the deployment of standardisation procedures for quality assurance of products.

He described quality assurance as a critical element of the standardisation process for the growth of any nation.

Aboloma added that regular quality control, inspection, sampling, testing and certification of manufacturing processes ensured products met the requirements of relevant standards.

“They also guarantee continual improvement to satisfy customer expectations,” he said.

The SON chief said quality assurance had been a major driver of the agency’s standardisation campaigns.

“As the apex standardisation agency, it is the duty of SON to ensure that consumers get value for money and are protected from the dangers of substandard products; that is why I urge Nigerians to get involved in the campaign. We need the collaboration of all Nigerians to do the job effectively,” he said.

According to Aboloma, one of the administration’s main agenda is promoting ease of doing business to facilitate trade the Federal Government’s efforts to focus on non-oil exports, with agriculture and MSMEs as key drivers.

”I invite you to further partner SON in our efforts toward trade and business facilitation to ensure Nigeria becomes a better place for all. The government is determined to create an enabling environment for business, thus, we should take up the challenge and let the change start with us as individuals and groups,” he added.

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