NIGERIA – To increase the consumption of standardized products in the nation, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) organized an expo for MANCAP-certified products in Kano.

The exhibition which also marked SON’s 50th anniversary had participants dealing in the manufacture of rice, cooking, and other products. 

The goal of the exhibition, according to Mallam Farouk Salim, Director General of the SON, was to raise public knowledge of goods that enhance well-being. He added that this endeavor also aims to motivate businesses to take additional steps and hire workers to combat the nation’s high unemployment rate.

In order to support efforts to eradicate counterfeit goods in the nation, he urged the general public to report any substandard products they may come across in marketplaces or any other public space.

Salim stated that the call was necessary due to the volume of reports the organization’s enforcement team had received. He further declared that the owner and the business would be dealt with appropriately for any substandard products discovered.

He said that over the past 50 years, SON has made significant contributions to preserving and promoting the products that Nigerians eat in order to ensure that they are produced per standards.

The companies thanked the organization for bringing them together to promote their products to the general public and warned that without their efforts, the market would be flooded with substandard products that would drive out the high-quality ones.

“We are happy that SON is helping towards producing standard products. This is to our advantage because our products are now certified and can be exported everywhere in the world,” Alhaji Ibrahim Gerawa, a rice firm owner, said.

In December 2022, SON issued MANCAP certifications to 102 businesses in Kano state.

MANCAP Certification

MANCAP is a mandatory product certification scheme put in place by SON to ensure that all locally manufactured products in the country conform to the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) before such products are presented for sale in the market or exported.

Started in 2006, it promotes fair competition at both domestic and international markets, as well as safeguards the safety and health of consumers in the overall interest of promoting economic and industrial development of Nigeria.

A MANCAP certificate is valid for three years after which the product must undergo recertification.

The MANCAP logo is to be fixed on the smallest unit pack of the product after which the product can be introduced into the market for sale.

The product is monitored through periodic factory inspections and testing to ensure consistent compliance with the Nigerian Industrial Standard by SON officials.

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