NIGERIA – In a recent ceremony held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Farouk Salim, urged producers and manufacturers to ensure that their brands align with the prescribed standards.

During the event, Mr. Salim presented Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme certificates (MANCAP) to five companies recognized for the consistent quality of their products.

Representing the DG at the ceremony, Fred Akingbesote, the South-East Regional Operational Director of SON, also issued a stern warning to manufacturers who use fake MANCAP marks on their products, cautioning that such actions would have legal consequences.

Mr. Salim stressed the importance of product certification as a means to enable businesses to compete effectively in both domestic and international markets.

He explained that MANCAP is a mandatory product certification scheme instituted by SON to ensure that all locally manufactured products adhere to the relevant Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) before they are offered for sale or export.

For those whose products have received MANCAP certification, the DG urged them to maintain the high standards expected. He also encouraged those yet to be certified to engage with SON to initiate the certification process.

Highlighting the advantages of MANCAP certification, Mr. Salim emphasized that it promotes business growth, encourages the production of high-quality products, fosters healthy competition through consistent compliance with standards, and enhances global competitiveness for domestic manufacturers.

Maryrose Ugwueche, the State Coordinator of SON in Ebonyi, encouraged the manufacturers to uphold the quality of their products and maintain established standards to succeed in the global market. She emphasized that in the world of quality, “Quality is a Journey and not a destination.”

Representing the recipient companies, Esther David, the Quality Assurance Manager of Vegas Restaurant and Bakery, expressed their commitment to preserving their MANCAP-certified status. She acknowledged the ongoing journey towards maintaining product conformity with Nigerian Industrial Standards and thanked SON for the certification.

In addition to Vegas Restaurant and Bakery, other companies that received MANCAP certificates during the ceremony include Roban Store (Abakaliki branch), Vita-mater Oil Ltd, Spring and Caelis table water, and Joppa table water Ltd.

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