Nigeria launches Digital Standards Platform for products

ABUJA — The Nigerian Government has unveiled a Digital Standards Platform to strengthen confidence in Made-in-Nigeria products, simplify regulatory compliance and boost global competitiveness, according to Voice of Nigeria. The platform was launched in Abuja by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and technology firm Goringu, VON reported.

Speaking at the unveiling, Minister of State for Industry Senator John Enoh described the initiative as a step toward accelerating industrialisation and advancing President Bola Tinubu's economic diversification agenda, according to VON. Enoh said BPP would fully integrate the platform into procurement, calling public procurement "the largest purchaser of goods and services in Nigeria," VON reported.

SON Director-General Ifeanyi Okeke said the platform places Nigeria's industrial standards, compliance tools and certification services online, searchable and verifiable "without the barriers of distance, queues or paperwork," according to VON. He added that, through SON's licensing deals with international standards bodies, users can buy selected adopted international standards at up to 35 per cent below original cost, VON reported.

Enoh linked the move to the African Continental Free Trade Area, warning local industries must meet international standards to stay competitive, according to VON.