By NIyi JACOBS
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to enhance trade and drive sustainable development through the effective use of standards.
Speaking in Lagos at the 2025 edition of the World Standards Day, themed “Shared Vision for a Better World — Spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goal 17,” SON’s Director General, Ifeanyi Okeke, said the event highlights the global importance of standards as a unifying framework for growth and progress.
Okeke noted that the theme underscores the need for collaboration, emphasizing that no single institution can achieve sustainable development alone. “Collaboration, cooperation, and partnership are the true drivers of progress, and standards remain the common language that make such partnerships possible,” he stated.
He stressed that Nigeria’s development goals — from food security and industrialization to energy transition and trade expansion — require coordinated efforts between government, the private sector, academia, and civil society. “By spotlighting SDG 17, we affirm that partnerships are the backbone for achieving other Sustainable Development Goals,” Okeke said.
The SON boss also identified national quality infrastructure as critical to ensuring that both imported and exported products meet required standards at national, regional, and global levels. He called for international partnerships to support conformity assessments, noting that SON cannot operate alone globally.
Okeke further revealed that SON is promoting export growth through its SONEXCAP certification programme, which ensures Nigerian products meet international standards. “With SONEXCAP certification, Nigerian goods are more readily accepted across Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement,” he explained.
He added that increasing exports, rather than relying on imports, is key to Nigeria’s economic sustainability. “What really sustains any nation is the ability to export, and SON is committed to ensuring that locally made products meet the quality standards required to compete globally,” he concluded.
