National Quality Council Will Assist Nigeria Unlock Benefits Of AfCFTA, Stop Export Reject, Says Aboloma

The National Quality Council on Thursday said the implementation of the Nigeria National Quality Policy will unlock the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement for Nigeria.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Quality Council, Osita Aboloma, said this in Abuja during a chat with journalists.

The federal government established the National Quality Council to enhance development, harmonisation and rationalization of Nigeria’s quality infrastructure.

The National Quality Council was created to implement the letters and spirit of the approved Nigerian National Quality Policy document which provides for efficient and effective management of regulatory responsibilities to achieve protection of society and the environment as well as transparent and reliable state-regulatory systems, devoid of bureaucratic vagaries.

Speaking to journalists, Aboloma said the agency would assist in providing a supportive National Quality Infrastructure for the country.

This, he said, 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.

He said without adhering to the international standards, the country may not be able to enjoy the benefits of the AfCFTA as products from Nigeria will continue to suffer rejects due to non-conformity with standards.

The AfCFTA is a bloc of over 1.3 billion people which was ratified in 2021 by over 47 African nations as of August last year.

Aboloma said one of the things the agency will be doing in the short-to-medium term is to convene a stakeholders’ summit on the implementation of the National Quality Policy and how it affects every facets of the Nigerian economy.

He said, “We plan to have a national discourse across the country where we will be discussing the details of the National Quality Policy, how it affects the various sector of the economy and how it will improve our economy

“We will also be doing gap analysis that will look at gathering data for every laboratory that exist in Nigeria whether government or privately owned, what they are testing and their capacity for those tests, do they have international accreditation, would their result be accepted in Togo for example since we are talking about AfCFTA.

“When we analyse where the gaps are, we can properly advise the government on what needs to be done in the short term, medium term and long terms to ensure that trade and commerce within Nigeria, with our neigbouring countries and the rest of Africa and internationally is going to be to the benefit of Nigeria.

“Those activities will generate jobs for the country, boost economic growth and increase exports for Nigeria. So, it is the working of the National Quality Infrastructure that will guarantee business to function well and the products they are producing are giving people value for their money”