The Chairman/Chief Executive, National Quality Council, Osita Aboloma described as unacceptable, the shipping of Nigerian goods to Ghana for certification to enhance export value, saying the solution lays in accelerated development, rationalization and harmonization of the Nation’s quality infrastructure for optimum value addition.

Aboloma stated that sanitary and phytosanitary requirements are some of the key issues to be surmounted to avoid the constant rejects.

Aboloma said that the various legs of the quality infrastructure, namely standards development, metrology, conformity assessment and accreditation require urgent harmonization and rationalization.

Others according to him, include the provision of a supportive National Quality Infrastructure (NQI), which consists of Standards, Metrology, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment Services that must be acceptable globally to enhance the competitiveness of products and services made in Nigeria.

The SPS requirements according to him, are quarantine and biosecurity measures  applied to protect human, animal and plant life or health risks arising from the introduction, establishment and spread of pests, diseases as well as from the use of additives, toxins and contaminants in food and feed.

He emphasized that the Council would work to ensure that all Nigeria’s goods, services and persons’ certification comply with relevant standards, technical regulations and applicable accredited conformity assessment requirements of domestic, regional and international markets and yet be competitive. These he said will affirm Nigeria’s leadership in the African Continental trade and better position its huge market and its people to benefit optimally.

The NQC Chairman admonished Nigerian Exporters to take optimum advantage of the existing quality infrastructure in the country, to save the Nation scarce foreign exchange, increase the efficiency of the export value chain and mitigate the rejection of Nigerian made products across regional, continental and international borders.

Aboloma assured Stakeholders of the National Quality Council’s preparedness to work seamlessly and in close collaboration with all stakeholders in the public and private sectors to ensure rapid improvement in the Nation’s quality infrastructure. 

This he said will promote efficient and effective service delivery as well as overall economic emancipation, in order to benefit immensely from the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

He stated that countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa that have promoted harmonized quality infrastructure are reaping the benefits in huge inflow of foreign exchange from unhindered exports, listing America, India, United Kingdom, Morocco, Ghana and Kenya as good examples.

Aboloma stated that the NQC would promote industry access to conformity assessment services that are affordable and acceptable globally so that Nigerian made products can be marketed under the motto: “Tested once, certified once, and accepted everywhere”.