FG Launches Digital Standards Platform With Up to 35% Discount on Products
- The SON unveiled a new Digital Standards Platform, giving businesses online access to industrial standards and compliance tools
- SON said the platform removes the need for physical visits, paperwork, and long processing times for standards-related services
- Discounts of up to 35% on internationally recognised standards are available through the platform
The federal government has launched a Digital Standards Platform designed to give Nigerian businesses, manufacturers and researchers faster, cheaper access to industrial standards and compliance services entirely online.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) unveiled the platform over the weekend in Abuja, with the SON Director-General, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, and the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, both present at the event.
Source: Getty Images
Through a single online portal, users can now search Nigerian Industrial Standards, verify certified products and manufacturers, and access conformity assessment services without visiting any SON office.
What the Platform Offers
Okeke said the agency built the platform in direct response to the difficulties businesses had been facing when trying to access standards and compliance information, Punch reports.
He said:
"From today, Nigerian Industrial Standards, compliance tools, conformity assessment services and standards-related resources are available digitally, searchable, accessible and verifiable, without the barriers of distance, queues or paperwork."
One of the platform's headline features is discounted access to internationally recognised standards.
Through SON's subscription and copyright licensing agreements with global standards organisations, users can access selected international standards at discounts of up to 35%, reducing what had previously been a significant financial burden for smaller manufacturers and research institutions.
Okeke said lower-cost access to global standards would help Nigerian industries raise product quality, encourage innovation, and compete more effectively in regional and international markets.
He added that the regulatory environment must keep pace with changes in technology and industry to properly support economic development.
Source: Getty Images
Government's Broader Push for Digital Governance
Senator Enoh described the launch as a major step in Nigeria's industrialisation drive and pointed to its alignment with the Federal Government's wider agenda to improve the ease of doing business and strengthen regulatory efficiency through technology, Leadership reports.
The platform brings together four key services under one digital gateway: the catalogue of Nigerian Industrial Standards, a certified products directory, a verified manufacturers register, and conformity assessment services.
SON unveils technology solution to expose fake products in Nigeria
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has launched a technology initiative to arrest the influx of fake and counterfeit products into the Nigerian market.
The move follows the alarming rise of counterfeit and low-quality products in the Nigerian market, which have caused economic losses and posed significant threats to the well-being of consumers.
According to the Director-General of SON, Malam Farouk Salim, the technology, known as Product Authentication Mark (PAM), will ensure that all imported and manufactured products meet the requirements of the relevant standards.
SON's campaign to tackle the issue of substandard products is a timely and much-needed intervention
Source: Legit.ng
