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New SON Board to Drive Nigeria’s Industrialisation, Economic Growth
By prince Benson Davies
The Federal Government has inaugurated the governing board of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to boost industrial growth and attract investment. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, who inaugurated the board in Abuja, congratulated the new board members and described their appointment as timely for Nigeria’s economic transformation.
The minister noted that the board’s inauguration aligns with the government’s efforts to strengthen industrialisation, attract investments, and expand value chains under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. She emphasized that the SON Act mandates the board to promote quality standards, enhance industrial growth, and support the competitiveness of Nigerian products within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and global markets.
Dr. Oduwole acknowledged the challenges affecting production, including infrastructure deficits, security concerns, and operational bottlenecks, and assured that the government is addressing them through coordinated reforms and policies. She urged the board to strengthen oversight, close implementation gaps, and ensure that locally produced, imported, and exported goods meet international standards to enhance competitiveness.
The Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, said the upcoming Nigeria Industrial Policy would place greater responsibility on SON to ensure product quality and competitiveness in local and international markets. He emphasized that Nigeria’s ambition to become an industrial hub requires strong standards enforcement to enable locally manufactured products to compete with foreign goods and reduce the influx of counterfeit products.
The Chairman of the governing board, Mr. Yahuza Inuwa, thanked the ministers and the President for the opportunity to serve the country. He assured that the board would work to actualize SON’s mandates and objectives.
